METHOD OF OPERATING A COAL BURNING FACILITY
First Claim
1. Non-leaching coal ash having 200 ppb or more of total Hg and characterized by a concentration of mercury in the extract of less than 0.2 ppb when tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test Method 1311.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods involve adding sorbent components, such as calcium oxide, alumina, and silica, as well as optional halogens as part of environmental control. Use of the sorbents leads to significant reductions in sulfur and mercury emissions that otherwise would result from burning coal. Use of the sorbents leads to production of waste coal ash that, while higher in mercury; is nevertheless usable as a commercial product because the mercury in the ash is non-leaching and because the coal ash has a higher cementitious nature by virtue of the increased content of the sorbent components in the ash. Thus, the methods involve adding powders having qualities that lead to the production of a cementitious coal ash while at the same time reducing emissions from a coal burning facility.
10 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. Non-leaching coal ash having 200 ppb or more of total Hg and characterized by a concentration of mercury in the extract of less than 0.2 ppb when tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test Method 1311.
- 8. A method of removing deposits from the boiler tubes in a coal burning furnace, comprising burning coal in the presence of sorbent in a furnace where fouling has caused bonded deposits on the boiler tubes from running without use of the sorbents, wherein burning coal in the presence of the sorbent also produces an ash that is more cementitious than ash produced from burning coal without the sorbent and that is non-leaching in mercury as characterized by a concentration of mercury in the extract of less than 0.2 ppb when tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test Method 1311.
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12. A method of burning coal in a coal burning facility to produce heat energy and waste ash comprising combusting the coal in the presence of a sorbent, wherein:
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emissions of NOx and at least one of SOx and mercury are reduced by at least 20%, compared to burning coal without the added sorbent; an ash is produced that is more highly cementitious than ash produced by burning the coal without the added sorbent; and an ash is produced that is lower leaching in mercury than ash produced by burning the coal without the added sorbent. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification