Sulfur dioxide removal from flue gases by electrochemical absorption

Electrochemical absorption and oxidation of SO2 in aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid on Pt expanded mesh anode with the electrolyte recycle in a unique reactor design and electrode configuration has been investigated. Numerous experimental runs have been carried out in order to observe the performance of the reactor as a function of the operating conditions: the current density, temperature, volume flow rate of the electrolyte, the sulfuric acid concentration, volume flow rate of the gas, the components of gas mixture, and initial SO2 concentration. The removal efficiency of >93%, which meets the regulations requirement in Turkey, was obtained with an energy consumption of 2.22 × 10−2 kWh m−3 and current efficiency of 47%.