Instead of Diesel Exhaust Fluid?…Development of Ultra-High Efficiency Nitrogen Oxide Treatment Catalyst for Ships and Machinery

KIST Research Team Begins Commercialization Verification at Industrial Facility Sites

SCR pilot denitrification reactor through on-site exhaust gas injection

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Amid the emergency in domestic industrial sites caused by China's urea export restrictions, a catalyst capable of converting nitrogen oxides, the main culprit of ultrafine dust in exhaust gases, into water with low energy and cost has been developed. Although it is currently intended for factories and mobile pollution sources (such as large construction and agricultural machinery or ships), attention is being paid to whether it can also be applied to automobiles.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 16th that a research team led by Dr. Kwon Dong-wook and Dr. Ha Heon-pil from the Extreme Materials Research Center developed a new concept of highly durable low-temperature catalyst material applied to the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) method, which converts nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases into harmless water and nitrogen.

The research team succeeded in developing a composite vanadium oxide catalyst material by adding molybdenum and antimony oxides to a vanadium-based catalyst and using catalyst interface engineering techniques to suppress the adsorption reaction between the active components and sulfur dioxide, significantly reducing the formation of the toxic ammonium sulfate salt. When exposed to sulfur dioxide at a low temperature of 220°C, the time to reach 85% of the initial performance is delayed by more than seven times compared to existing catalysts, resulting in a significantly longer catalyst lifespan. Additionally, its high low-temperature activity greatly reduces the nitrogen oxide treatment burden at the front end of the combustion system, making it advantageous in terms of energy efficiency. This means that the cost of treating air pollutants can be reduced.

The research team has already completed laboratory-scale reactor experiments and installed a pilot demonstration facility at Kumho Petrochemical's Yeosu No. 2 Energy Combined Heat and Power Plant in August for demonstration testing. The KIST-Kumho Petrochemical team plans to evaluate and verify the operating parameters of the demonstration facility over approximately 10 months to derive optimal operation methods and aims to build plant facilities by 2022.

Accordingly, there is also attention on whether this catalyst can replace existing urea solutions in nitrogen oxide reduction devices for vehicle engines, in addition to industrial equipment.

The research team explained, "In environments where the flue gas temperature is low and sulfur components are included, making it difficult to apply denitrification catalysts, there are technical and economic challenges such as artificially reheating the flue gas through burners to apply the denitrification catalyst." They added, "The low-temperature, highly durable catalyst that can effectively respond to these challenges can be applied to exhaust gas treatment in industrial sites." They further noted, "Low-temperature denitrification catalyst technology can globally expand the denitrification catalyst market, and especially, the technology to enhance sulfur poisoning resistance is a core technology that can increase applicability in industrial and transportation sectors."

Dr. Kwon Dong-wook of KIST said, "Research on zeolite-based materials is being conducted for automotive exhaust pollution reduction catalysts. Vanadium-based catalysts are used for large mobile pollution sources such as ships, but it is not impossible to apply them to automobiles as well."

This research result was published in the international journal in the environment and energy field, ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’ (IF: 13.273, JCR top 2.448%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.