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SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) Air Pollution Control – Acid Rain Prevention
Wet Scrubber Design Using Q-PAC®
Process Description
When sulfur compounds are burned, most of the sulfur is converted to SO2. Typical examples are
coal fired electric power plants, burning of high sulfur diesel or fuel oil, etc. The SO2 that is
formed needs to be removed from the process off gas. If not removed, acid rain downwind of the
combustion process will result. The US EPA’s Phase II regulations intended to further reduce
SO2 emissions (www.epa.gov/airmarkets/arp/overview.html) took effect in 2000. These
regulations apply to all power generating stations of 25 megawatt and greater capacity.
SO2 Emission Control – Packed Bed Wet Scrubber
A very efficient and cost effective method to limit SO2 air emissions is wet scrubbing. Common
design parameters are: L = 6 ~ 12 gpm/ft2 and G = 2500 ~ 3000 lb/hr · ft2
Using a typical example of an air stream of 25,000 scfm (42,500 m3/hr) at 150 ºF (66 ºC), the
design of the scrubber would be:
Diameter = 7 ft (2100 mm)
Inlet CO2 = 44,000 ppmv
Inlet SO2 = 300 ppmv
Recirculation Rate = 350 gpm (79 m3/hr)
Blowdown Rate ~ 4 gpm (1 m3/hr)
Total Dissovled Solids in Blowdown ~ 5%
Scrubbing Liquor = water + caustic (NaOH)
Makeup Caustic Strength = 50%
Sump pH ~ 7
Packing = 8 ft (2440 mm) Q-PAC
Q-PAC Pressure Drop = 1.9 in WC (4.7 mbar)
Mist Capture = 1.5 ft (460 mm) #2 NUPAC
#2 NUPAC Pressure Drop = 0.7 in WC (1.8 mbar)
Q-PAC®
SO2 Scrubbing Efficiency = 98%+ USA Patent #5,458,817
Chemical Losses to CO2 Absorption = 0
Theoretical Caustic Consumption = 9 gal/hr (34 Liter/hr)
Operational Notes
The sump should be initially be filled with about 4% NaOH solution. pH will be high at first, but gradually
come down as SO2 is absorbed. When the pH falls to ~6, caustic should be added to raise the pH by a few
tenths of a unit. At low pH the scrubber will remove SO2 and other strong acid gases, but not waste NaOH
by absorbing CO2. Combustion exhaust may contain 1~6% CO2 by volume. The pH won't change very fast,
because a sodium bisulfite / sulfite buffer solution is formed in the water. Blowdown rate is usually
adjusted to maintain of 2~5% TDS. This can be done automatically by using a conductivity probe in the
sump to monitor the byproduct salt content. When sulfur compounds are burned, most of the S is converted
to SO2, but depending on conditions there may also be a small amount of SO3. SO3 reacts with water vapor
to form an aerosol of sulfuric acid droplets, most of which are too fine to be removed by a packed scrubber.
Please consult with Lantec Products regarding the design requirements of your specific project. No
warranty is given or implied with this design example. All designs that are reviewed by Lantec Products
will carry a full performance warranty.
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