BIOOXIDATION AS A VIABLE METHOD FOR SOX EMISSION CONTROL

Outgas emission control has become an overall pervasive technological problem that is further complicated with legislative imperatives and d emands of the marketplace. It is already clear that the industry requi res efficient, affordable solutions, that are also technology- and con figuration-specific. The present work reports the results of a series of experiments aimed al developing a biooxidation technology to improv e SOx removal from outgases. This technology uses bacterial oxidation of SO2 by the Thiobacillus or the Leptospirillum family. Gas phase SO2 /SO3 conversions were facilitated by bacterial oxidation. A typical lo w concentration outgas containing 3% SO2, 12 ppm CO and 380 ppm CO2 wa s tested for bio-conversion in a packed-bed bio-reactor. The goal of t he experiment was to oxidize SO2 into SO3 in the gas phase, which can then be out by water, In this investigation a processing rate of 120 m L/h at 32 degrees C was used. The experimental results have demonstrat ed that gas phase bio-oxidation of SO2 is a feasible processing method , and development of a prototype may be built in a realistic lime fram e (one to two years).