Emissions-purifying system working well so far in Colorado Springs

David Neumann isn't the most excitable guy.

He's a physicist, after all, who worked at Air Force Space Command and did research at the Air Force Academy.

But Neumann was enthused and smiling Friday — his brainchild, which will purify some coal plant emissions, has performed stunningly at Colorado Springs' Drake Power Plant.

The project could have "global implications" if the device is successful at removing carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and has made coal the outcast of the green movement. There is no proven technology for removing carbon, but if Neumann's Purestream works, it could bring an end to some of the world's energy problems, Neumann said.

Although coal is abundant, it's the dirtiest energy source and could become the most expensive if hefty carbon taxes under consideration by Congress are imposed.

That prospect has caused many utilities to turn to renewables, but Neumann said wind and solar power can't possibly satisfy the world's growing appetite for power. "If we think renewables are going to solve our energy dependency, that's an incredible mistake," he said.

Experts with the Electric Power Research Institute will visit the Colorado Springs power plant to verify test results in coming weeks. EPRI is a nonprofit that supports emerging technologies whose members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated in the United States.

"Getting somebody's stamp on this that's nationally recognized is critical to getting this adopted in the industry," Neumann said.

It's been a relatively short road. Neumann has spent five years and $6 million in grants and investments — a pittance in the research and development world.

The effort took a giant leap forward when Colorado Springs Utilities teamed with Neumann this year to apply his device to Drake.

Since then, the city has invested about $1 million in the project in exchange for a cut of the profits after the device is marketed.

The device, which uses a secret formula of chemicals and water, removes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions — all regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Some utilities have mounted scrubbers onto plants to remove those substances, but the technology is expensive and bulky.

Neumann's device is less than a 10th the size of other scrubbing equipment. Being modular means additional capacity is added by stacking another piece onto the platform.

More importantly, the device is estimated to cost a third of competing technologies and would be cheaper to use and maintain, because it consumes two-thirds less power to operate, Springs Utilities officials said.

In addition, Neumann's invention will produce by-products, including fertilizer and cement.

Last week, Colorado Springs Utilities chief energy officer Tom Black gave Purestream rave reviews at a City Council briefing.

"Early results on a small unit exceeded all our expectations," Black said. "We believe the capability will be better than anything in the market."

For example, Black said the early tests showed the device removed up to 99.7 percent of the sulfur dioxide and 80 percent of nitrogen dioxide from the plant's exhaust. It also removed particulates, such as unburned coal and ash. Performance was even better when stepped up to two megawatts, he said.

"It's one of the most exciting projects I've been involved with since I've been in this industry," Black said.

Testing begins this month on the invention's ability to remove carbon dioxide at the two-megawatt level, the largest known test of its kind in the world, Neumann said. Early smaller scale tests of Purestream were encouraging.

The next step is to up the ante. The city wants to apply the device to a 20-megawatt exhaust stream at Drake next June, about the time the product could go to market.

If that works, it would be a matter of stacking modules to handle the plant's entire 254-megawatt capacity, or even larger plants, in order to be a viable solution to reducing the carbon footprint.

Neumann said several utilities have expressed interest in Purestream and have visited the Drake project site. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., Energy Committee member, will tour the facility Monday, along with Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer.

Neumann said his invention could create 500 manufacturing jobs within two years in Colorado Springs where the capability already exists to gear up production, assuming capital is available.