October 20, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051020-1718.asp New invention will convert waste to active carbon Oct 20/05
by Elizabeth Raymer (about) (email) New U of T research will make it possible to convert waste material from oil sands into active carbon, and has the potential to greatly reduce mercury emissions. "We are the first to convert waste to activated carbon," says Charles Jia, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, who presented his findings to the 55th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference in Toronto this week. Collaborating with colleague Donald Kirk, Jia has developed the newly patented "SOactive" process, through which oil-sand fluid coke, a byproduct of producing synthetic crude oil, can be activated by sulphur dioxide, while the sulphur dioxide is converted to elemental sulphur, which acts as raw material for fertilizer and sulphuric acid, among other things, Jia says. The professors have termed the activated form of the coke "ECOcarbon." Given the increasing importance of oil sands in Canada’s energy portfolio, the production of petroleum coke will increase. With stricter environmental regulations for low-sulphur transportation fuel, an increase in the coke sulphur content is anticipated. "So in future, the sulphur count in coke will increase, and we will have a bigger problem if we want to use the oil sands as an energy source," Jia explains. Developing applications for high-sulphur petroleum coke therefore adds value to Canada’s natural resources. Canada is also a major producer of non-ferrous metals; non-ferrous smelters, along with coal-fired power stations, are major contributors of man-made sulphur dioxide, and in many cases mercury. "The United States released new mercury emission regulations in March, and our active carbon will be very effective in removing mercury from industrial waste and oil-sand waste." This research was funded primarily by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada with additional funding from Syncrude Canada and the Alberta Energy Research Institute. Contact: Professor Charles Q. Jia, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, 416-946-3097; e-mail: cqjia@chem-eng.utoronto.ca
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