Desulfurization and denitrification using activated carbons

Activated carbons were prepared from various coals and employed to remove NO_x and SO_x from a simulated flue gas. Results show that the best activated carbon tested, in terms of de-NO_x and de-SO_x perfor￣mance, is produced from sub-bituminous coal. The addition of coking coal can decrease the abrasive wear of the activated carbon in a fluidized bed, and the optimum amount of coking coal is determined to be 25w/%. A post-oxidation process can be used to greatly improve the de-SO_x and de-NO_x performance of the resultant activated carbons.