The Utilization of Waste Seashell for High Temperature Desulfurization

The integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is one of the most promising proposed processes for advanced electric power generation that is likely to replace conventional coal combustion. This emerging technology will not only improve considerably the thermal efficiency but also reduce or eliminate the environmentally adverse effects normally associated with coal combustion. The IGCC process gasifies coal under reducing conditions with essentially all the sulfur existing in the form of hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) in the product fuel gas. The need to remove $H_2S$ from coal derived fuel gases is a significant concern which stems from stringent government regulations and also, from a technical point of view and a need to protect turbines from corrosion. The waste seashells were used for the removal of hydrogen sulfide from a hot gas stream. The sulphidation of waste seashells with $H_2S$ was studied in a thermogravimetric analyzer at temperature between $600^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$. The desulfurization performance of the waste seashell sorbents was experimentally tested in a fixed bed reactor system. Sulfidation experiments performed under reaction conditions similar to those at the exit of a coal gasifier showed that preparation procedure and technique, the type and the amount of seashell, and the size of the seashell affects the $H_2S$ removal capacity of the sorbents. The pore structure of fresh and sulfided seashell sorbents was analyzed using mercury porosimetry, nitrogen adsorption, and scanning electronmicroscopy.