PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE RECLAMATION OF CALCIUM SULFITE PRODUCED BY A FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION SYSTEM

摘要

A process and equipment that can be added to an existing flue gas scrubbing facility to reclaim accumulated calcium sulfite slurry and produce calcium sulfate. The equipment can be used to retrofit facilities that scrub sulfur dioxide-containing flue gases, as is typical with plants that burn fossil fuels. Such facilities typically employ a gas-liquid contactor to absorb sulfur dioxide from the flue gases, producing a calcium sulfite-containig byproduct that is accumulated or otherwise held in a reservoir apart from the gas-liquid contactor. Such a facility is modified to include a vessel through which acidic gases are flowed, and to which the byproduct is delivered from the reservoir so that some of the acidic gases are absorbed by the byproduct and the pH of the byproduct is sufficiently lowered to enable the sulfite to become dissolved into the byproduct. The byproduct is then accumulated in a receptacle, where the calcium sulfite contained by the byproduct is oxidized to convert the calcium sulfite to calcium sulfate. The calcium sulfate can then be removed from the receptacle for sale or storage.