Effect of SO₂ and NO on removal of VOC from simulated flue gas by activated carbon fibers at low temperature

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) seriously affect the environment and human health. The removal of pollutants from coal-fired power plants based on ACF adsorption is a promising method. In this paper, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was used to modify the ACF sample, and the methods of N₂ adsorption isotherm and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were utilized to characterize the ACF samples. The adsorption tests of VOC (toluene as a typical representative) based on ACF were conducted and the effect of SO₂ and NO on the adsorption of toluene were investigated. It was found that H₂O₂ modification had no impact on the BET surface and pore volume of the ACF sample, but increased the oxygen groups on the ACF surface. The results also indicated that SO₂ or NO inhibited the adsorption of VOC on ACF, and this inhibition became strong with increasing concentration of SO₂ or NO. It is also found that the coexistence of SO₂ and NO deteriorated the adsorption VOC on ACF more seriously than the single existence of SO₂ or NO.