Institute of Gas Technology

John R Conrad

Donald L Klass

Sambhunath Ghosh

Sulfur dioxide is removed from waste gases such as stack gases by contacting the gas stream with free tertiary amines having basic strengths greater than about pK 5 to form a coordinate covalent complex of the amine and the sulfur dioxide. The sufficiently stable complex is than thermally regenerated to liberate the sulfur dioxide in one stream, to provide the residual gases in another stream, and to provide the regenerated tertiary amine for collection and reuse in a subsequent sulfur dioxide cleanup step. The coordinate covalent complex reacts with even very small concentrations of sulfur dioxide to effectively reduce the sulfur dioxide to detectable zero levels. The presence of carbon dioxide in waste gas streams does not interfere with the efficient cleanup because the selected tertiary amine does not react with the carbon dioxide.

Removal of sulfur dioxide from waste gases

An improved anaerobic digestion of organic biomass by rupturing cells of microorganisms present in a digested biomass or untreated biomass fraction undergoing digestion to obtain a treated biomass fraction having liberated indigenous enzymes in place; and contacting such treated biomass fraction with an untreated biomass fraction so the combined fractions undergo improved anaerobic digestion. The cells in the untreated biomass portion are ruptured by conventional means such as sonication, and about equal volumes of the fractions are preferably combined under conditions of conventional anaerobic digestion.

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

John R Conrad