Marsulex Environmental Technologies Corporation

General Electric Company

Michael Lyn Mengel

Michael Tom Hammer

Raymond Raulfs Gansley

Gregory N Brown

Eli Gal

Barry Wayne Stolzman

Amy Patrice Evans

Paul Murray Leicht

Amy P Evans

Conversion methods and equipment for converting a calcium-based flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system to an ammonia-based FGD systems, including modifying a reagent system and absorber system of the calcium-based FGD system to be capable of, respectively, delivering an ammonia-based reagent to the absorber system rather than the calcium-based reagent, and modifying the absorber system to increase capacity of a reaction tank thereof.

Conversion equipment for flue gas desulfurization systems and methods of converting calcium-based flue gas desulfurization systems

Systems and methods for producing potassium sulfate. Such a method involves providing an industrial waste material that includes at least one metal sulfate or a metal product that has been reacted with sulfuric acid to produce metal sulfates, and then reacting the metal sulfate with potassium carbonate to produce a byproduct that contains potassium sulfate.

Systems and methods for producing potassium sulfate

Systems, apparatuses, and processes for controlling free ammonia in wet flue gas desulfurization processes in which an ammonia-containing scrubbing solution is used to produce ammonium sulfate. Such an apparatus includes an absorber having a contactor region through which a flue gas comprising sulfur dioxide is able to flow and a reaction tank containing a scrubbing solution containing ammonium sulfate. The tank has a sidewall and bottom wall that define the perimeter and bottom of the tank. Lance-agitator units are distributed around the perimeter of the tank, each having a lance that injects a mixture of oxygen and a dilute ammonia-containing fluid toward the bottom of the tank and an agitator that agitates the mixture and propels the mixture toward the bottom of the tank. The apparatus includes a source of the mixture of oxygen and dilute ammonia-containing fluid, and recirculates the scrubbing solution from the tank to the contactor region.

Wet flue gas desulfurization process and apparatus

A process and system for hydrogen sulfide capture from gas streams employing an absorber vessel in which the gas stream containing hydrogen sulfide is contacted with an absorbent solution to remove the hydrogen sulfide from the gas stream. The process and system may further employ an oxidation vessel in which sulfides and/or bisulfides in the absorbent solution are oxidized to produce a thiosulfate and/or sulfate, yielding a solution that can be used as fertilizer or other applications.

Systems and processes for removing hydrogen sulfide from gas streams

An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases and NOx from flue gases produced by utility and industrial plants. The process and apparatus convert NOx, and particularly nitric oxide, to nitrogen dioxide, which is then reacted to form a valuable byproduct. The process generally entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing medium to absorb acidic gases from flue gas and produce an intermediate flue gas. The intermediate flue gas is then cooled to cause nitric oxide present therein to be oxidized to form nitrogen dioxide, which is then absorbed from the flue gases to produce a nitrogen dioxide-containing solution and a scrubbed flue gas. The nitrogen dioxide in the nitrogen dioxide-containing solution is then reacted with ammonium hydroxide to form ammonium nitrate as a valuable byproduct.

Flue gas desulfurization process and apparatus for removing nitrogen oxides

A process and system for producing fertilizers with reduced levels of contaminants, and particularly a flue gas scrubbing process and facility that produce a fertilizer byproduct which is treated to remove heavy metals originally present in the scrubbed flue gas. The process entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing solution to remove acidic gases and produce a byproduct containing a fertilizer compound precipitate and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds. A fertilizer solution containing dissolved fertilizer and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds is then produced by adding water to the byproduct, after which the pH of the fertilizer solution is adjusted one or more times with a gaseous and/or liquid alkali to form precipitates of one or more metal species. The precipitates are then removed from the fertilizer solution and the solution dewatered to yield a fertilizer product with lower contaminant levels.

Process and facility for removing metal contaminants from fertilizer streams

A gas-liquid contactor for removing gases and particulate matter from flue gases produced by processing operations of the type carried out in utility and industrial plants. The contactor is generally an open spray absorber having a spray tower ( ) whose walls ( ) form a passage within the tower ( ). Flue gases are introduced into the tower ( ) so as to flow vertically upward or downward through the passage. Disposed within the passage are heads ( ) for introducing a liquid ( ) into the passage such that the liquid ( ) contacts the flue gases. A portion of the liquid ( ) contacts the wall ( ) of the tower ( ), such that the portion of the liquid ( ) flows downwardly along the wall ( ). The tower ( ) is equipped with a deflecting device ( ) disposed on the wall ( ) for deflecting the portion of the liquid ( ) away from the wall ( ), and thereafter reintroducing the portion of the liquid ( ) into the passage so as to contact the gases flowing through the passage. The deflecting device ( ) is also preferably configured to obstruct the flow of gases along the wall ( ) in order to reduce gas penetration at the wall ( ) and divert the gases toward the center of the passage where more efficient contact with the liquid ( ) is made.

Gas-liquid contactor with liquid redistribution device

An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases, such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride, from flue gases produced by processing operations of the type carried out in utility and industrial plants. The apparatus is generally a gas-liquid contactor whose operation uses an ammonium sulfate-containing scrubbing solution to absorb acidic gases from flue gases, and into which oxygen and ammonia are then injected to react with the absorbed sulfur dioxide to produce ammonium sulfate as a valuable byproduct. The oxygen and ammonia are not introduced together into the scrubbing solution, but instead are introduced sequentially and in a manner so that the oxidation first occurs in a relatively low pH solution as a result of the absorbed acidic gases. The ammonia is then added to the solution in a manner that inhibits or prevents intermixing of the ammonia with the majority of the solution, but is present in the solution when recycled for further absorption of acidic gases. This is accomplished by providing a partition within a vessel containing the scrubbing solution, so that two volumes are defined within the vessel. The portion of the solution within one of the volumes receives oxygen. The solution is then drawn into the other volume, which ammonia is introduced. By avoiding the injection of ammonia into that portion of the solution that receives oxygen, which is at a lower pH and contains lower levels of ammonium sulfite, high ammonia vapor pressure and ammonia slip are minimized. By avoiding the injection of oxygen into that portion of the solution that receives ammonia, bubbles normally present in the scrubbing solution due to the injection of oxygen are prevented from being drawn into that portion of the solution that is in the process of being recycled for further absorption of acidic gases.

Flue gas scrubbing method and apparatus therefor

A method of producing calcium sulfate with a flue gas scrubbing facility having a gas-liquid contactor that uses a calcium-based slurry to absorb sulfur dioxide from a flue gas containing acidic gases, wherein a byproduct containing calcium sulfite precipitate is produced that is accumulated in a reservoir, such as a pond, apart from the gas-liquid contactor. Such a facility is modified to produce calcium sulfate by installing an acidifier vessel and an oxidation receptacle in series between a source of the flue gas and the gas-liquid contactor. The flue gas containing the acidic gases is caused to flow through the acidifier vessel, into which the byproduct is delivered from the reservoir so that some of the acidic gases of the flue gas are absorbed by the byproduct and the pH of the byproduct is sufficiently lowered to allow the calcium sulfite precipitate to dissolve in the byproduct. The flue gas from the acidifier vessel is then delivered to the gas-liquid contactor where sulfur dioxide is absorbed by the calcium-based slurry, and the byproduct from the acidifier vessel is accumulated in the oxidation receptacle. Within the oxidation receptacle, the calcium sulfite dissolved by the byproduct is oxidized to produce calcium sulfate, which is then removed from the oxidation receptacle.

Process for the reclamation of calcium sulfite produced by a calcium-based FGD system

A wet flue gas desulfurization process for removing sulfur dioxide from flue gases. The process utilizes an ammonium sulfate scrubbing solution containing free dissolved ammonia as the reagent for the desulfurization process to produce ammonium sulfate as a valuable byproduct. The scrubbing solution contacts the flue gases and absorbs sulfur dioxide within an absorber of a flue gas scrubbing apparatus, and is then accumulated in a tank where the absorbed sulfur dioxide is reacted with oxygen and ammonia to produce ammonium sulfate. The scrubbing solution has a concentration of greater than 46% ammonium sulfate so as to have suspended solids of ammonium sulfate precipitate, preferably 1% to 20% suspended solids.

Process for controlling ammonia slip in the reduction of sulfur dioxide emission

A process is provided for removing sulfur dioxide out of gases by feeding the gases into a scrubber, where they are counter-currently contacted with a descending solution containing ammonium hydroxide and ammonium sulfate so that the sulfur dioxide is sorbed into the solution containing ammonium hydroxide and ammonium sulfate and a scrubbed gas is discharged from the scrubber. The sulfur dioxide-loaded solution is collected in a sump at the bottom of the scrubber, where a mixture of ammonia and air is injected into the sulfur dioxide loaded solution so that the ammonia reacts with the sulfur dioxide to produce ammonium sulfite which is (in turn) oxidized by the air into ammonium sulfate. The mixture of air and ammonia is injected into the solution in a direction that is towards the bottom of the sump so that portions of solution containing a higher pH and higher ammonium sulfite levels than the remainder of the solution is avoided, thereby minimizing ammonia slip out of the scrubber.

An flue gas scrubbing apparatus and process by which flue gases are contacted by a contact medium while traveling rapidly upward through a passage, such that the contact medium is fully entrained in the upward-flowing flue gases. The gases and the entrained contact medium are then redirected downwardly so that the entrained contact medium impacts the surface of a reservoir of the contact medium contained in the tank, with the result that much of the entrained contact medium is separated from the flue gases. The surface of the reservoir of contact medium causes the flue gases to abruptly change flow direction, flowing horizontally at a reduced velocity so that any remaining contact medium entrained in the gases becomes separated from the gases. After another abrupt change in flow direction, the gases are substantially free of contact medium and can be demisted by conventional means.

Flue gas scrubbing method

The limestone dissolution rate for limestone-containing slurries used in wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) systems is enhanced by the addition of ammonium ions. The ammonium ions may be obtained by incorporating into the limestone-containing slurry gaseous or aqueous ammonia and/or a water-soluble ammonium salt, such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, or ammonium carbonate. Increasing the limestone dissolution rate for limestone-containing slurries used in WFGD systems allows courser limestone particles, lower limestone stoichiometry and lower slurry recycle rates to be employed, thereby saving capital and operating costs. The ammonium ions may be recovered and reused in the process.

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Fredericksburg, PA, United States of America

Michael Lyn Mengel