It is known to combust coal or other fuels in fluidized beds of adsorbent materials in order for sulfur oxide gases emanating from sulfurous materials in the coals or other fuels to be adsorbed or captured by the bed material and not otherwise released in the flue gases derived from the combustion process. During these combustion processes, wherein sulfur oxides are captured by beds of adsorbent materials, other environmental contaminants such as unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide are, however, generally released in the flue gas in various concentrations. It is also known that various catalytic materials can be used for combustion processes, such as automobile exhaust gases, for the purpose of reducing emissions of unburned hydrocarbons, oxidizing carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and reducing nitrogen oxides to nitrogen. These catalytic converters generally pass sulfur oxides through unchanged or oxidize sulfur oxides to their highest level of oxidation thereby producing constituents of airborne sulfites and sulfates which may contribute, along with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, to atmospheric phenomena known as "smog" and "acid-rain".
It has not, however, been proposed to employ combinations of adsorbents and catalysts together during combustion of fuels to reduce emissions of all of these contaminants, nor has it been recognized that the use of these respective components in combination realizes enhanced reduction of sulfur oxides and other contaminating emissions.