Modeling of removal of sulfur dioxide from flue gases in a horizontal cocurrent gas–liquid scrubber

Removal of sulfur dioxide and its accurate prediction from the flue gases emitted from various chemical industries in a techno-econo-enviro manner is of great importance. The concentration of sulfur dioxide in and around Indian chemical process plants dealing with sulfur compounds overshoots the danger point. Prediction of SO2 removal efficiency is very important for the selection of pollution control equipment. In the present investigation, a residence time distribution (RTD) approach has been used for developing a theoretical model for predicting the SO2 removal efficiency in a horizontal co-current gas–liquid scrubber by water spray. Experimental result shows that a very high percentage removal of SO2 could be achieved from air–SO2 mixture without using any additives or pre-treatment. Experimental results agreed excellently with developed theoretical model and it shows that almost 75–99% removal efficiency could be achieved by this approach.