Porous Ceramics Adsorbents Based on Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastics for NO_x and SO_x Removal

To reuse waste glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRPs), porous ceramics (i.e., GFRP/clay ceramics) were produced by mixing crushed GFRP with clay followed by firing the resulting mixture under different conditions. The possibility of using ceramics fired under a reducing atmosphere as adsorbent materials to remove NO_x and SO_x from combustion gases of fossil fuels was investigated because of the high porosity, specific surface area, and contents of glass fibers and plastic carbides of the ceramics. NO₂ and SO₂ adsorption tests were conducted on several types of GFRP/clay ceramic samples, and the gas concentration reduction rates were compared to those of a clay ceramic and a volcanic pumice with high NO₂ adsorption. In addition, to clarify the primary factor affecting gas adsorption, adsorption tests were conducted on the glass fibers in the GFRP and GFRP carbides. The reductively fired GFRP/clay ceramics exhibited high adsorption performance for both NO₂ and SO₂. The primary factor affecting the NO₂ adsorption of the ceramics was the plastic carbide content in the clay structure, while that affecting the SO₂ adsorption of the ceramics was the glass fiber content.