Abstract:The simultaneous removal of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) by absorption is considered to be one of the most promising technologies for flue gas treatment, and sulfite is the main component of the absorption solution. To understand the chemical behaviors of the NO 2 absorption in sulfite solution, the absorption time dependences of concentrations of nitrogen and sulfur compositions in both gas phase and liquid phases were investigated by flue gas analyzer, Ion chromatography (IC), Gas chromatography (GC), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) methods using a bubbling reactor. The mass equilibrium of the N and S compositions were also studied. The results indicate that sulfite concentration plays a vital role in NO 2 absorption. The main absorption products are NO 3 − and NO 2 − , and NO 2 − can be converted into NO 3 − in the presence of oxygen. Besides, about 4% to 9% by-products of S compositions are formed, and 4% to 11% by-products of N compositions such as NO, N 2 , N 2 O 5 , N 2 O, and HNO 3 in the gas phase were detected in the emissions from the bubbling reactor. On the basis of N and S compositions, a possible pathway of NO 2 absorption in sulfite solution was proposed.