(Note: This research is still under funding through the NASA SBIR Program and additional test results will be available at the time of printing but was not included in this report.)
Incineration of biomass is an alternative being considered for use on future long-duration, manned space flights. Given the concerns regarding the enclosed environment of a spacecraft, removing undesirable compounds from incinerator off-gas is a major design criteria for any such system. Reaction Engineering International, in conjunction with the University of Utah and Tufts University, have studied the use of catalysts for the reduction of certain undesirable compounds from the exhaust of a space-based biomass combustion system.
Currently, a copper-doped fluorite catalyst is being evaluated. The tests being performed are meant to simulate actual combustion products, therefore a typical flue gas from the fluidized bed biomass combustor has been simulated in the laboratory. The simulated flue gas contains CO, CO2, NO, CH4, NH3, and N2. The focus of this paper is to compare the experimental results for the fluorite catalyst with the results of a commercial catalyst as a means of evaluating its performance efficiency under actual combustion conditions. Performance efficiency will be determined by way of NO reduction efficiency.