Comparative study of effluents and their control from four dry ash Lurgi gasification plants

The four coal gasification plants reviewed are the ones proposed by the El Paso Natural Gas Company, the WESCO Gasification Company in New Mexico, the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, and the ANG Coal Gasification Company in North Dakota. This study was undertaken in order to review the nature and the amounts of the effluent emitted into the environment, to determine the cost of controlling undesirable effluents, to review water treatment facilities and pollution control technologies, to discover the projected capital and operating costs for the plants, and to identify control technology research needs. The fixed capital investment and the direct operating costs for equipment to control emission of potentially harmful effluents, such as H/sub 2/S, SO/sub 2/, hydrocarbons, coal dust, particulates, ashes, sludges, COS, CS/sub 2/, CO, and H/sub 2/ were estimated according to the design information provided by the gasification companies. The reuse water treatment systems were reviewed. The work has revealed that the weakest portions of the designs rest in water reuse and sulfur control technology. In the authors' judgements, there is a good probability that existing technology can be utilized to meet the zero liquid discharge and existing gaseous emission requirements for the proposed gasification facilities with minimal upset. However, the technology for internal water reuse is not well established, and these streams can be expected to have characteristics other than those projected. Stretford and Claus technology for sulfur removal exists and, in our judgement, has a good probability of meeting existing guidelines and regulations. Some operating data are available for high CO/sub 2/, low H/sub 2/S, streams; these data are not available in the literature at this time. Recommendations for research have been made