(1) Microbial removal of SO sub 2 and NO sub x from flue gas; (2) Microbial by-product recovery from regenerable processes for the simultaneous removal of SO sub 2 and NO sub x from flue gas

Technical Report · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6205590

Sublette, K L ^[1]; Suciu, D ^[2]

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1. Tulsa Univ., OK (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
2. Lummus Crest, Inc., Bloomfield, NJ (USA). Engineering Development Center

The objective of this project has been to investigate the reduction of SO{sub 2} to H{sub 2}S by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans in coculture with mixed fermentative heterotrophs and the reduction of NO to elemental nitrogen by Thiobacillus denitrificans. The ultimate goal has been the development of a viable process concept whereby a microbial process could impact on the problem of flue gas desulfurization and NO{sub x} removal. It was observed that molasses will support the reduction of SO{sub 2} to H{sub 2}S by working cultures of D. desulfuricans. However, the sulfur contained in the molasses resulted in H{sub 2}S production in excess of that expected based on the SO{sub 2} feed. We demonstrated the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to elemental nitrogen (N{sub 2}) by Thiobacillus denitrificans. We also investigated the simultaneous removal of SO{sub 2} and NO from a gas by contact of the gas with either D. desulfuricans and T. denitrificans reactors-in-series or in co-culture. An economic evaluation of the microbial reduction of SO{sub 2} was performed comparing the microbial process to a conventional catalytic SO{sub 2} hydrogenation (with H{sub 2} generation from methane). Microbial SO{sub 2} reduction and conventional SO{sub 2} hydrogenation were estimated to have similar costs in terms of capital investment. However, annual operating costs for the microbial process were much higher than the conventional process, due primarily to the cost of raw materials. 52 refs., 38 figs., 20 tabs.

• Research Organization: Tulsa Univ., OK (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/FE
• DOE Contract Number: FG22-88PC88945
• OSTI ID: 6205590
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/88945-T4; ON: DE91008248
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200202* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste Management-- Noxious Gas & Particulate Emissions
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACILLUS
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
BIODEGRADATION
BY-PRODUCTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBINED SOXNOX PROCESSES
CULTURE MEDIA
DECOMPOSITION
DENITRIFICATION
DESULFOVIBRIO
DESULFURIZATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
FERMENTATION
FLUE GAS
GASEOUS WASTES
HOT GAS CLEANUP
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
MICROORGANISMS
MOLASSES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROGRESS REPORT
PURIFICATION
REDOX POTENTIAL
REDUCTION
SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
WASTES