Crystal growth and agglomeration of calcium sulfite hemihydrate crystals
- National Taiwan Univ., Taipei (Taiwan, Province of China). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
- Long-Hau Junior College, Tao-Yuan (Taiwan, Province of China). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) processes are most commonly utilized to remove sulfur dioxide from stack gases of coal- or oil-fired plants. In the simple slurry technology, SO{sub 2} is absorbed by a slurry of lime/limestone to form calcium sulfite crystals of acicular habit and its strong agglomeration, requiring large clarifiers and filters to dewater the sludge to make an acceptable landfill. Crystal growth and agglomeration of calcium sulfite hemihydrate crystals from solution were studied by reacting Ca(OH){sub 2} with NaHSO{sub 3} in a pH-stat semibatch crystallizer. Single platelet crystals and agglomerates of platelet crystals were produced in the pH range from 5.80 to 6.80. The crystallization mechanism changed from primary nucleation to crystal growth in the progressive precipitation. Using the titration curves, the growth rate was calculated from the titration rate at the final stage of operation. The crystal growth rates of calcium sulfate hemihydrate crystals were found to obey the parabolic rate law in the low supersaturation range. Another point to be noted is that the precipitates of calcium sulfite hemihydrate in agitated suspensions have a tendency to form agglomerates. It was found that the degree of agglomeration is a weak function of relative supersaturation and magma density, while the pH value is a key factor that affects the degree of agglomeration. Addition of EDTA also has an effect on the agglomeration of calcium sulfite hemihydrates.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 63159
- Journal Information:
- Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 34, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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