Use of carbonate rocks for flue gas desulfurization: Reactive dissolution of limestone particles

Sedimentary rocks, such as limestone, are widely utilized in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) processes because of their ability to form sulfur compounds. The most common system adopted for FGD is the wet scrubbing process, in which the dissolution rate of sedimentary rocks represents one of the most important factors. Evaluation of the dissolution and the reactivity of solid particles involved is therefore a key factor for FGD process design and plant operation. The rate of dissolution affects the cost of makeup and waste disposal. For this reason a method to test different qualities of raw materials can give us a better understanding of the desulfurization process and reasonable economical effects. In the present work the dissolution of carbonate rocks was investigated by utilizing hydrochloric acid and the mass transport phenomena involved in batch stirred tank reactors (BSTRs) were modeled. By evaluating the ratio of convective to diffusive mass transport and the ratio of momentum and mass diffusivity, it was possible to relate the quality of raw materials in terms of a defined Time Of Exposure (TOE). The model involved takes into account the variation of the particle size distribution derived from the allocation of the scattered light energy using the Fraunhofer diffraction theory. Improvements from previous studies were done [1].