Sulfur dioxide disposal

Due to the complexity and scope of sulfur dioxide disposal procedures, care must be taken to ensure that all existing regulations are complied with. For more detailed information or guidance, a local waste disposal firm or a sulfur dioxide manufacturer should be consulted. 

Plant investment and maintenance costs are relatively high for a new iodine plant in the United States or in Japan because of the deep weUs required for brine production and disposal as weU as the corrosive nature of the plant streams. The principal materials cost is for chlorine and for sulfur dioxide, although in the United States the additives used for the brines, such as scale inhibitors and bactericides, also have a considerable influence on costs. 

It is generally unacceptable to emit sulfur dioxide, thus the scmbber effluent must be treated for sulfur dioxide removal. If the plant aheady possesses faciUties for the production of sulfuric acid, this rather concentrated sulfur dioxide stream can be easily fed into the wet gas cleaning circuit and disposed of in the sulfuric acid plant. The quantity is so small that it does not put any additional burden on the sulfuric acid plant. Because no tellurium is carried over with the selenium dioxide during roasting, it is possible to produce a selenium product which can be purified to commercial grade (99.5-99.7%). 

Absorption Processes. Most flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems are based on absorption of the sulfur dioxide into a n on regen erabi e alkali-salt solvent. Sulfur absorbed using n on regen erabi e solvents is not recovered and the alkali sulfite—sulfate produced presents a disposal problem. 

The most efficient processes in Table I are for steel and alumintim, mainly because these metals are produced in large amounts, and much technological development has been lavished on them. Magnesium and titanium require chloride intermediates, decreasing their efficiencies of production lead, copper, and nickel require extra processing to remove unwanted impurities. Sulfide ores produce sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pollutant, which must be removed from smokestack gases. For example, in copper production the removal of SO, and its conversion to sulfuric acid adds up to 8(10) JA g of additional process energy consumption. In aluminum production disposal of waste ciyolite must be controlled because of possible fiuoride contamination. 

The main result of the thermolysis of the three-membered ring sulfoxides and sulfones is the extrusion of the sulfur monoxide and the sulfur dioxide moieties (Section III.C. I)99 10 5. Only in the presence of a suitably disposed /J-hydrogen does the ordinary sulfoxide-sulfenic acid fragmentation take place in the thiirane oxide series (equation 9). 

Sulfur dioxide can be removed from power plant exhaust gas by a scrubber s tem. One common method involves the reaction of SO2 with calcium oxide (lime) to form calcium sulfite S02(g) + CaO( ) CaS03 ( ) Unfortunately, scrubber systems are expensive to operate, and the solid CaS03 is generated in large enough quantities to create significant disposal problems. 

Another reducing agent relevant to chlorination reactions is sulfur dioxide. When the material to be chlorinated contains calcium oxide, it is advantageous to convert it to calcium sulfate rather than to calcium chloride. The advantages are less chlorine consumption and easy disposal of calcium sulfate (which is water-insoluble). The chlorination of scheelite is an important example of the use of the sulfur dioxide chlorine reagent ... 

In view of the concern about air quality, the recovery and disposal of sulfur dioxide has been the subject of many investigations, though none has yet been really successful (see Table 7.8). It should be mentioned that the options giving rise to highly concentrated sulfur dioxide suitable for liquefaction, or a gas stream sufficiently rich in sulfur dioxide to manufacture sulfuric acid, presuppose the existence of available markets for either liquid sulfur dioxide or sulfuric acid. 

Disposal Trapping sulfur dioxide in lime or limestone to yield calcium sulphate. 

One way to control gaseous pollutants like SO2 and SO3 is to remove the gases from fuel exhaust systems by absorption into a liquid solution or by adsorption onto a solid material. Absorption involves dissolving the gas in a liquid while adsorption is a surface phenomenon. In each case, a subsequent chemical reaction can occur to further trap the pollutant. Lime and limestone are two solid materials that effectively attract sulfur dioxide gas to their surfaces. The ensuing chemical reaction converts the gaseous pollutant to a solid nontoxic substance that can be collected and disposed or used in another industry. 

The solution is regenerated by heat to provide a sulfur-rich gas which can be used to make elemental sulfur, sulfuric acid, or sulfur dioxide. A small amount of sodium sulfate is produced, which must be crystallized out and disposed of. Initially the process used the potassium salts. Developed in the late 1960s. Licensed by Davy McKee and used in 22 plants in the United States, Japan, Germany, and Austria. 

Process Alternatives. Sulfur dioxide removal processes can be categorized as throwaway or recovery. Throwaway processes produce a liquid or solid waste that requires disposal. Recovery processes convert the sulfur dioxide to elemental sulfur or sulfuric acid. Throwaway processes have been used in most utility applications, but there could be greater incentives for using the recovery processes in industry. 

Liquid wastes containing hexavalent chromium require reduction of chromium to the trivalent state prior to metal removal. Commonly used reducing agents are sodium metabisulfite, sulfur dioxide, ferrous sulfide, and other ferrous ions (ferrous sulfate, ferrous chloride, or electrochemically generated ferrous ion). All of these reagents create some form of chromium sludge, which must be separated and dewatered before disposal. 

The production process evolves close to 1 t of gaseous sulfur dioxide and 0.3 t of water-soluble sodium sulfoxides for every tonne of pigment produced. These must be disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner. If the soluble salts are fully oxidized, they can be discharged safely into tidal waters. Future legislation in all producing countries may require removal of sulfur dioxide from the effluent gases before discharge to the atmosphere. 

Sulfur dioxide is generated, which in high concentrations must be converted to sulfuric acid (for which a market must be found) and in low concentrations must be disposed in other ways (available but expensive). 

While the development of flue gas clean-up processes has been progressing for many years, a satisfactory process is not yet available. Lime/limestone wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubber is the most widely used process in the utility industry at present, owing to the fact that it is the most technically developed and generally the most economically attractive. In spite of this, it is expensive and accounts for about 25-35% of the capital and operating costs of a power plant. Techniques for the post combustion control of nitrogen oxides emissions have not been developed as extensively as those for control of sulfur dioxide emissions. Several approaches have been proposed. Among these, ammonia-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) has received the most attention. But, SCR may not be suitable for U.S. coal-fired power plants because of reliability concerns and other unresolved technical issues (1). These include uncertain catalyst life, water disposal requirements, and the effects of ammonia by-products on plant components downstream from the reactor. The sensitivity of SCR processes to the cost of NH3 is also the subject of some concern. 

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