Prospective Techniques for Controlling Combustion Generated NOx Emissions

A ten-fold increase in global nitrogen oxide emissions since 1900 is mainly attributed to human activities utilizing combustion processes. Nitrogen oxides, formed from combustion air and fuelbounded nitrogen, contribute directly or indirectly to acid rain, changes to the ozone layer, and the greenhouse effect. Controlling flue gas NOx emissions (N0X=N0+N02) is the major environmental problem faced by various industries utilizing combustion processes. For example, in the USA, the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) mandate a 2,000,000 ton per year decrease in NOx emissions. Similar regulations are established or being established in other developed countries, and restrictions for NOx emissions will become more stringent in the future