Corona enhanced absorption of SO sub 2 /NO sub x

Abstract

This report contains results of an investigation of plasma-assisted oxidation of SO2to SO3. The SO3 is a more desirable by-product of flue gas than SO2because it easily dissolves in water and can be reacted with lime to form gypsum. A coaxial dielectricbarrier discharge is used to generate an air plasma to carry out the reaction. The dielectric-barrier discharge, which is an interrupted discharge, is very efficient in producing atomic oxygen and requires a simple form of excitation. We have observed a significant reduction (over 75%) in the SO2concentration using this technique. The simulation results indicate that about 99% of the SO2 can be oxidized with UV-irradiation along with plasma oxidation and that NOx can be reduced to N2 in the presence of an air plasma. The results of varying the gas composition, the gas pressure, and the gas flow are also reportea.