Heraeus Nitro Technologies - Katalysatoren

SecondarySecundaryCatalystsCatalystsN 2 O Abatement Catalyst HR-SCThe greenhouse gas N 2 O is knownto have a global warming potential310 times higher than CO 2 . Annually,about 1.2 mio. tonnes of this gas areemitted by the nitric acid industry,which is equivalent to the CO 2emissions of 80 mio. passenger cars.The catalyst consists of materialscommonly used in NH 3 oxidationreactors. This ensures that no newmaterials are present endangeringthe product. The HR-SC systemis made of precious metal coatedceramic pellets which are filledinto steel cassettes designed tofit into the reactor.On one hand, the national environmentallegislation has become tighterin some countries after commencementof the Kyoto Protocol. On the otherhand, the Kyoto mechanisms allowthe industry to implement emissionreduction projects (CDM/JI) generatingcarbon credits. Industries emitting hugequantities of CO 2 to the atmosphereand plants where emission reductionsare only viable with very high investmenthave a definite demand forcarbon credits.Heraeus has developed a N 2 O abatementsystem (HR-SC) for nitric acidplants which enables the reduction ofemissions to any desired level.Depending on operating conditionsand the required level of emissionreduction the catalyst layer thicknessin medium pressure plants is typicallybetween 20 – 60 mm causing an additionalpressure drop of 1 to 40 mbar.The Heraeus N 2 O reduction catalysthas been subjected to an intensivedevelopment program in small scalereactors as well as in commercialinstallations with an output of morethan 1,000 tonnes of acid per day.Heraeus is marketing the HR-SCsystem on a lease basis, chargingthe customer monthly based on thequantity of acid produced (in tonnesof HNO 3 100 %). This businessmodel has major advantages:Cost transparencyfor the customerTechnical support andtrouble shooting are includedin the lease feeFree of charge disposalof the spent catalystat the Heraeus site6