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Title: Separation of Flue-Gas Scrubber Sludge into Marketable Products

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/16801· OSTI ID:16801

The reduction of sulfur oxides from high sulfur coal burning utility companies has resulted in the production of huge quantities of wet flue-gas desulfurization scrubber sludge. A typical 400 MW power station burning a coal containing 3.5% sulfur by weight and using a limestone absorbent would produce approximately 177,000 tons (dry weight) of scrubber sludge per year. This brownish colored, finely divided material contains calcium sulfite (CaSO{sub 3} {center_dot} 1/2 H{sub 2}O), calcium sulfate (CaSO{sub 4} {center_dot} 2H{sub 2}O), unreacted limestone (CaCO{sub 3}), and various other impurities such as fly-ash and iron oxide particles. The physical separation of the components of scrubber sludge would result in the re-use of this material. The primary use would be conversion to a highly pure synthetic gypsum. This technical report concentrates on the effect of baffle configuration on the separation of calcium sulfite/sulfate from limestone. The position of the baffles as they related to the feed inlet, and the quantity of the baffles were examined. A clean calcium sulfite/sulfate (less than 2.0% limestone by weight) was achieved with the combination of water-only cyclone and horizontally baffled column.

Research Organization:
Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (US)
DOE Contract Number:
FG22-93PC93214
OSTI ID:
16801
Report Number(s):
DOE/PC/93214-14; ON: DE98058874; TRN: US200504%%378
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Supercedes report DE98058874; PBD: 28 Feb 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English