Technology
The
Microwave Carbon Burnout (MCB) process uses microwave energy
and unique fluidized bed reactors to combust unburned carbon
from fly ash. The process is completely effective for any
carbon content, producing a finished product of exceptionally
uniform quality. MCB is also effective in dealing with ammoniated
ash.
Developed in 1998 and put into pilot operation in 2000–2002,
MCB was patented and brought into Dominion by its inventor,
Dr. Tranquilla; Dominion now has full ownership of MCB. Throughout
the pilot operation period, MCB was used in 6 major test contracts
with electrical utilities in Canada and the United States.
In every case, MCB successfully reduced (or eliminated) the
carbon content (LOI, or “Loss On Ignition”) and
produced a product which fully satisfied CSA and ASTM performance
requirements.
Pilot
operations also confirmed several unique and outstanding performance
features of the MCB technology which give it a distinct advantage
over other competing technologies:
•
Reduced capital and operating costs compared with MCB’s
principal competitors; this is due to the inherently small,
compact plant design and unique operating conditions (much
higher temperature, hence higher carbon burn rate) which are
made possible by the efficient use of microwave energy;
•
Effective treatment of any level of carbon and ammonia, even
for ashes whose LOI is insufficient to support auto-burning;
this is due to the proprietary microwave combustion energy.
MCB is even able to process conditioned (landfilled) ash and
to produce a premium quality, marketable ash;
•
No waste stream to landfill because MCB produces only beneficiated
ash as its product stream;
•
No auxiliary fuel requirements for combusting low-LOI ash;
microwaves provide efficient, extremely rapid combustion energy.
MCB has also been demonstrated to effectively vaporize mercury
which is native to the fuel coals. A new process named Selective
Microwave Pyrolysis (SMP) has been developed out of MCB and
is being patented as a partner technology with a Colorado
firm in flue gas mercury scrubbing as part of the US DOE Clean
Coal Technology initiative.
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