New technology identifies harmful compounds in gas streams for cleaner air.
The researchers studied the gases produced in a coal liquefaction process to figure out what trace compounds are present. They developed methods to identify and measure different hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, and other gases in the gas streams. They found 41 different hydrocarbons, six sulfur compounds, and could detect low levels of nitrogen compounds. This information will help design systems to clean up the gases in large-scale coal liquefaction plants.
