A physicochemical justification of a wasteless technology for separating nitrogen isotopes

With the aim of developing a wasteless technology for separating nitrogen i sotopes by chemical exchange, processes for thermocatalytic reduction of su lfuric acid (the major by-product) by methane to sulfur dioxide and adsorpt ion isolation and purification of sulfur dioxide, which is returned to the main cycle, were suggested and studied in detail. All the necessary physico chemical characteristics of these processes were determined. The complete r eduction of sulfuric acid to sulfur dioxide can be performed on silica gel catalysts modified by metal salts in the temperature range 723-873 K depend ing on the rate of feeding the acid into the reactor.