FLUE GAS CLEANING FROM SULFUR OXIDES

Abstract

When sulfur-containing fuels are burned, sulfur oxides are formed: sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3). Sulfur oxides, as well as acids formed when they combine with water vapor in the atmosphere (H2SO3 and H2SO4), have a harmful impact on human health, causing the death of coniferous forests, reduced agricultural yields, and the acidification of water bodies. Furthermore, sulfur oxides cause corrosion of steel structures and the deterioration of various building materials. In the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide emitted from a chimney oxidizes under the influence of sunlight to sulfur trioxide, which then transforms into sulfuric acid. The lifetime of sulfur oxides and their transformation products in the atmosphere (according to various studies) ranges from several hours to several days, during which time they can be transported by air currents over enormous distances (up to 1000 km). This is the phenomenon of long-range and ultra-long-range transport of sulfur oxides. For this reason, a paradoxical situation has arisen in some European countries, where, for example, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and some other countries receive more sulfur oxides as a result of transport than they emit themselves.