The primary goal of this paper is to reveal the reaction behavior of SO 2 in the sinter zone, combustion zone, drying-preheating zone, and over-wet zone during flue gas recirculation (FGR) technique. The results showed that SO 2 retention in the sinter zone was associated with free-CaO in the form of CaSO 3 /CaSO 4 , and the SO 2 adsorption reached a maximum under 900ºC. SO 2 in the flue gas came almost from the combustion zone. One reaction behavior was the oxidation of sulfur in the sintering mix when the temperature was between 800 and 1000ºC; the other behavior was the decomposition of sulfite/sulfate when the temperature was over 1000ºC. However, the SO 2 adsorption in the sintering bed mainly occurred in the drying-preheating zone, adsorbed by CaCO 3 , Ca(OH) 2 , and CaO. When the SO 2 adsorption reaction in the drying-preheating zone reached equilibrium, the excess SO 2 gas continued to migrate to the over-wet zone and was then absorbed by Ca(OH) 2 and H 2 O. The emission rising point of SO 2 moved forward in combustion zone, and the concentration of SO 2 emissions significantly increased in the case of flue gas recirculation (FGR) technique.Implications: Aiming for the reuse of the sensible heat and a reduction in exhaust gas emission, the FGR technique is proposed in the iron ore sintering process. When using the FGR technique, SO 2 emission in exhaust gas gets changed. In practice, the application of the FGR technique in a sinter plant should be cooperative with the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technique. Thus, it is necessary to study the influence of the FGR technique on SO 2 emissions because it will directly influence the demand and design of the FGD system.
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