Alternative Methods of Reducing Sulfur Dioxide Emissions
An alternative to removing sulfur from the flue gases after burning is to remove the sulfur from the fuel before or during combustion. Hydrodesulfurization of fuel has been used for treating fuel oils before use. Fluidized bed combustion adds lime to the fuel during combustion. The lime reacts with the SO2 to form sulfates which become part of the ash.
The recently developed biological alternative Thiopaq combines gas purification with sulfur recovery. Micro-organisms in a bioreactor oxidise the sulfide to elemental sulfur. This elemental S is then separated and finally recovered at the end of the process for further usage in, for example, agricultural products. Safety is one of the greatest benefits of this method, as the whole process takes place at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. This method has been developed by Paqell, a joint venture between Shell Global Solutions and Paques.
Read more about this topic: Flue-gas Desulfurization
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