Development of Low Cost Conducting Polymer for Electrostatic Precipitators

78513 The electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is a key technology for removing pollution from the flue gases generated by coal fired power plants. However, in these systems, the metal collection surfaces are extremely heavy, have high costs of installation, and are easily corroded. Polymer fabric collection surfaces have not been shown to be suffciently conductive to allow dry collection. This project will exploit a recent innovation, based on a synergistic effect between glass fiber and carbon nanofibers, that allows a conducting polymer composite to be made with very low nanofiber concentration. Extruded strands of this composite will be woven to create a conducting fabric collection surface for dry ESP operation. In Phase I, carbon nanofibers will be optimized for various polymer matrices and blended into the polymer along with glass fibers for extrusion into strands. Fabrics woven from these strands will be characterized and evaluated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Dry fabric ESPs should find application in coal fired power plants, where they will reduce costs compared to metal ESPs, reduce water consumption, and simplify handling of the waste stream as compared with wet fabric ESPs.