Combined control of PM and NOx emissions by corona discharge.

• Honeycomb ESP was designed to control NO x and PM emissions from 15-kW boiler. • ESP reduced NO x by 78 % while PM were reduced to a magnitude of ambient air. • ESP removal efficiency was studied in terms of ESP technological parameters. This work investigates the potential of corona discharge to control particulate matter and NO x emissions from small-scale biomass combustion. The electrostatic precipitator (ESP) was designed and used to suppress emissions from a 15-kW heating unit. The ESP was operated at different power modes at both polarities and demonstrated the capability to reduce NO x emissions with a removal efficiency of 78 % while PM concentration was reduced to a magnitude of particle content in ambient air. The efficiency of ESP was evaluated considering the technological parameters, namely the reduced electric field, Nt-product, and specific input energy. The growth in NO x abatement was observed when the energy input exceeded 1 J/L for both polarities and Nt-product exceeded 4.5 × 108 s/cm3/1 × 109 s/cm3 for negative/positive corona. The results of this work may contribute to understanding the processes in corona discharge and optimising corona discharge systems for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]