Hydrocarbons sulfur oxides

Chemical radicals—such as hydroxyl, peroxyhydroxyl, and various alkyl and aryl species—have either been observed in laboratory studies or have been postulated as photochemical reaction intermediates. Atmospheric photochemical reactions also result in the formation of finely divided suspended particles (secondary aerosols), which create atmospheric haze. Their chemical content is enriched with sulfates (from sulfur dioxide), nitrates (from nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, and peroxyacylnitrates), ammonium (from ammonia), chloride (from sea salt), water, and oxygenated, sulfiirated, and nitrated organic compounds (from chemical combination of ozone and oxygen with hydrocarbon, sulfur oxide, and nitrogen oxide fragments). ... 

Other emissions include gaseous emissions such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen oxides, VOCs, and aldehydes. Gaseous anissions are much lower than the particulate, generally mounting to less than 0.5 kg/t. The EPA emission factors for various gaseous pollutants in asphalt concrete manufacture are listed in Table 53.16. 

Alkali metals Moisture, acetylene, metal halides, ammonium salts, oxygen and oxidizing agents, halogens, carbon tetrachloride, carbon, carbon dioxide, carbon disul-flde, chloroform, chlorinated hydrocarbons, ethylene oxide, boric acid, sulfur, tellurium... 

The significance of the total sulfur content of kerosene varies greatly with the type of oil and the use to which it is put. Sulfur content is of great importance when the kerosene to be burned produces sulfur oxides, which are of environmental concern. The color of kerosene is of Htde significance but a product darker than usual may have resulted from contamination or aging in fact, a color darker than specified may be considered by some users as unsatisfactory. Kerosene, because of its use as a burning oil, must be free of aromatic and unsaturated hydrocarbons the desirable constituents of kerosene are saturated hydrocarbons. 

The main combustion pollutants are nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, unbumed hydrocarbons, and soot. Combustion pollutants can be reduced by three main methods depending on the location of thek appHcation before, after, or during the combustion. Techniques employed before and after combustion deal with the fuel or the burned gases. A thkd alternative is to modify the combustion process in order to minimise the emissions. 

Pollutant Formation and Control in Flames Key combustion-generated air pollutants include nitrogen oxides (NOJ, sulfur oxides (principally SO9), particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons. 

The problems with the combustion reaction occur because the process also produces many other products, most of which are termed air pollutants. These can be carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur, oxides of nitrogen, smoke, fly ash, metals, metal oxides, metal salts, aldehydes, ketones, acids, polynuclear hydrocarbons, and many others. Only in the past few decades have combustion engineers become concerned about... 

The gaseous component typically contains hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, mercaptans, solvents, and other constituents, and is either discharged directly to the atmosphere or is combusted in a flare. The major air emissions from blowdown systems are hydrocarbons in the case of direct discharge to the atmosphere and sulfur oxides when flared. 

High levels of sulfur not only form dangerous oxides, but they also tend to poison the catalyst in the catalytic converter. As it flows over the catalyst in the exliaust system, the sulfur decreases conversion efficiency and limits the catalyst s oxygen storage capacity. With the converter working at less than maximum efficiency, the exhaust entering the atmosphere contains increased concentrations, not only of the sulfur oxides but also, of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, toxic metals, and particulate matter. 

In the USA, the Clean Air Act of 1970 established air-quality standards for six major pollutants particulate matter, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and photochemical oxidants. It also set standards for automobile emissions - the major source of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. An overview of the major standards is given in Tab. 10.2. The levels of, for example, the European Union (1996) are easily achieved with the present catalysts. The more challenging standards, up to those for the ultralow emission vehicle, are within reach, but zero-emission will probably only be attainable for a hydrogen-powered vehicle. 

Emissions from sinter plants are generated from raw material handling, windbox exhaust, sinter discharge (associated sinter crushers and hot screens), and from the cooler and cold screen. The primary source of particulate emissions, mainly irons oxides, magnesium oxide, sulfur oxides, carbonaceous compounds, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and chlorides, are due to the windbox exhaust. Contaminants such as fluorides, ammonia, and arsenic may also be present. At the discharge end,... 

Particulate iron and sulfur oxides, carbonaceous compounds, aliphatic hydrocarbons, chlorides... 

Aryl and alkyl hydroxylations, epoxide formation, oxidative dealkylation of heteroatoms, reduction, dehalogenation, desulfuration, deamination, aryl N-oxygenation, oxidation of sulfur Oxidation of nucleophilic nitrogen and sulfur, oxidative desulfurization Oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, amines, and sulfides oxidative dealkylation, reduction of N-oxides Alcohol oxidation reduction of ketones Oxidative deamination... 

Historically, the sulfur oxides have long been known to have a deleterious effect on the atmosphere, and sulfuric acid mist and other sulfate particulate matter are well established as important sources of atmospheric contamination. However, the atmospheric chemistry is probably not as well understood as the gas-phase photoxidation reactions of the nitrogen oxides-hydrocarbon system. The pollutants form originally from the S02 emitted to the air. Just as mobile and stationary combustion sources emit some small quantities of N02 as well as NO, so do they emit some small quantities of S03 when they bum sulfur-containing fuels. Leighton [2] also discusses the oxidation of S02 in polluted atmospheres and an excellent review by Bulfalini [3] has appeared. This section draws heavily from these sources. 

Atmospheric and vacuum distillation units (Figures 4.3 and 4.4) are closed processes, and exposures are expected to be minimal. Both atmospheric distillation units and vacuum distillation units produce refinery fuel gas streams containing a mixture of light hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia. These streams are processed through gas treatment and sulfur recovery units to recover fuel gas and sulfur. Sulfur recovery creates emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. 

Emissions from catalytic reforming (Figure 4.14) include fugitive emissions of volatile constituents in the feed and emissions from process heaters and boilers. As with all process heaters in the refinery, combustion of fossil fuels produces emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and volatile hydrocarbons. 

Air emissions may arise from fugitive propane emissions and process vents. These include heater stack gas (carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter) as well as hydrocarbon emission, such as fugitive propane and fugitive solvents. Steam stripping wastewater (oil and solvents) and solvent recovery wastewater (oil and propane) are also produced. 

The numerous process heaters used in refineries to heat process streams or to generate steam (boilers) for heating or steam stripping can be potential sources of sulfur oxides (SO2, and SO3), nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulates, and hydrocarbons emissions. When operating properly and when burning cleaner fuels such as refinery fuel gas, fuel oil, or natural gas, these emissions are relatively low. If, however, combustion is not complete, or heaters are fired with refinery fuel pitch or residuals, emissions can be significant. 

In summary, refinery process gas, in addition to hydrocarbons, may contain other contaminants, such as carbon oxides (CO , where x = 1 and/or 2) and sulfur oxides (SO, where x = 2 and/or 3) as well as ammonia (NH3), mercaptans (R-SH), and carbonyl sulfide (COS). 

Pollution associated with petroleum refining typically includes volatile organic compounds (volatile organic compounds), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SO c), nitrogen oxides (NO ), particulates, ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), metals, spent acids, and numerous toxic organic compounds (Hydrocarbon Processing, 2003). Sulfur and metals result from the impurities in crude oil. The other wastes represent losses of feedstock and petroleum products. 

A typical source (see Figure 6-2) consists of an ultraviolet mercury lamp that irradiates a quartz tube through which clean air flows at 5-10 liters/min. A small amount of the oxygen in air is converted to ozone by photolysis. It is important that the incoming air be free of moisture, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, and particles, to... 

Kagawa and Toyama in Tokyo followed 20 normal 11-yr-old school children once a week from June to December 1972 with a battery of pulmonary-function tests. Environmental factors studied included oxidant, ozone, hydrocarbon, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particles, temperature, and relative humidity. Temperature was found to be the most important environmental factor affecting respiratory tests. The observers noted that pulmonary-function tests of the upper airway were more susceptible to increased temperature than those of the lower airway. Although the effect of temperature was the most marked, ozone concentration was significantly associated with airway resistance and specific airway conductance. Increased ozone concentrations usually occur at the same time as increased temperature, so their relative contributions could not be determined. 

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