Sulfur dioxide removal from flue gases by electrochemical absorption

Electrochemical absorption and oxidation of SO 2 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 SO 2 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%.