Flue gas treatment by activated carbon obtained from oil-fired fly ash

Abstract The treatment of the solid particulates derived from the combustion of heavy oils (that is, oil-fired fly ash) with acidic solutions (HCl and HF) followed by activation at 900 °C with CO 2 and then with O 2 (1%) in N 2 at 800 °C, produces activated carbon having high surface area values (measured both by N 2 adsorption at 77 K and by CO 2 adsorption at 273 K) and surface basic characteristics. This carbon appears to be suitable for SO 2 and NO X adsorption and hence for industrial flue gas treatment processes. By submitting the activated carbon thus obtained to some adsorption/desorption cycles of gaseous mixtures having a similar composition to that of flue gases, its general characteristics (surface areas, sorbent properties etc.) change as expected of a typical activated carbon. Based on the results obtained, these particulate materials, produced in large amounts by heavy oil combustion, are assumed to be fully exploitable for flue gas treatment.