Abstract: Systems and methods for producing potassium sulfate. Such a method involves providing an industrial waste material that includes at least one metal sulfate or a metal product that has been reacted with sulfuric acid to produce metal sulfates, and then reacting the metal sulfate with potassium carbonate to produce a byproduct that contains potassium sulfate.

Abstract: Wet flue gas desulfurization systems and methods for contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing liquid to produce ammonium thiosulfate. The scrubbing liquid absorbs sulfur dioxide and optionally additional acidic gases from the flue gas to produce a scrubbed flue gas, the scrubbing liquid with the absorbed sulfur dioxide therein is collected, and ammonia and elemental sulfur are introduced into the collected scrubbing liquid to react the ammonia, the absorbed sulfur dioxide, and the elemental sulfur in the collected scrubbing liquid to produce ammonium thiosulfate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for producing potassium sulfate. Such a method involves providing an industrial waste material that includes at least one metal sulfate or a metal product that has been reacted with sulfuric acid to produce metal sulfates, and then reacting the metal sulfate with potassium carbonate to produce a byproduct that contains potassium sulfate.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases and NOx from flue gases produced by utility and industrial plants. The process and apparatus convert NOx, and particularly nitric oxide, to nitrogen dioxide, which is then reacted to form a valuable byproduct. The process generally entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing medium to absorb acidic gases from flue gas and produce an intermediate flue gas. The intermediate flue gas is then cooled to cause nitric oxide present therein to be oxidized to form nitrogen dioxide, which is then absorbed from the flue gases to produce a nitrogen dioxide-containing solution and a scrubbed flue gas. The nitrogen dioxide in the nitrogen dioxide-containing solution is then reacted with ammonium hydroxide to form ammonium nitrate as a valuable byproduct.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases and NOx from flue gases produced by utility and industrial plants. The process and apparatus convert NOx, and particularly nitric oxide, to nitrogen dioxide, which is then reacted to form a valuable byproduct. The process generally entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing medium to absorb acidic gases from flue gas and produce an intermediate flue gas. The intermediate flue gas is then cooled to cause nitric oxide present therein to be oxidized to form nitrogen dioxide, which is then absorbed from the flue gases to produce a nitrogen dioxide-containing solution and a scrubbed flue gas. The nitrogen dioxide in the nitrogen dioxide-containing solution is then reacted with ammonium hydroxide to form ammonium nitrate as a valuable byproduct.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases and NOx from flue gases produced by utility and industrial plants. The process and apparatus convert NOx, and particularly nitric oxide, to nitrogen dioxide, which is then reacted to form a valuable byproduct. The process generally entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing medium to absorb acidic gases from flue gas and produce an intermediate flue gas. The intermediate flue gas is then cooled to cause nitric oxide present therein to be oxidized to form nitrogen dioxide, which is then absorbed from the flue gases to produce a nitrogen dioxide-containing solution and a scrubbed flue gas. The nitrogen dioxide in the nitrogen dioxide-containing solution is then reacted with ammonium hydroxide to form ammonium nitrate as a valuable byproduct.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for removing acidic gases and NOx from flue gases produced by utility and industrial plants. The process and apparatus convert NOx, and particularly nitric oxide, to nitrogen dioxide, which is then reacted to form a valuable byproduct. The process generally entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing medium to absorb acidic gases from flue gas and produce an intermediate flue gas. The intermediate flue gas is then cooled to cause nitric oxide present therein to be oxidized to form nitrogen dioxide, which is then absorbed from the flue gases to produce a nitrogen dioxide-containing solution and a scrubbed flue gas. The nitrogen dioxide in the nitrogen dioxide-containing solution is then reacted with ammonium hydroxide to form ammonium nitrate as a valuable byproduct.

Abstract: A process and system for producing fertilizers with reduced levels of contaminants, and particularly a flue gas scrubbing process and facility that produce a fertilizer byproduct which is treated to remove heavy metals originally present in the scrubbed flue gas. The process entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing solution to remove acidic gases and produce a byproduct containing a fertilizer compound precipitate and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds. A fertilizer solution containing dissolved fertilizer and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds is then produced by adding water to the byproduct, after which the pH of the fertilizer solution is adjusted one or more times with a gaseous and/or liquid alkali to form precipitates of one or more metal species. The precipitates are then removed from the fertilizer solution and the solution dewatered to yield a fertilizer product with lower contaminant levels.

Abstract: A process and system for producing fertilizers with reduced levels of contaminants, and particularly a flue gas scrubbing process and facility that produce a fertilizer byproduct which is treated to remove heavy metals originally present in the scrubbed flue gas. The process entails contacting a flue gas with a scrubbing solution to remove acidic gases and produce a byproduct containing a fertilizer compound precipitate and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds. A fertilizer solution containing dissolved fertilizer and dissolved metals and/or metal compounds is then produced by adding water to the byproduct, after which the pH of the fertilizer solution is adjusted one or more times with a gaseous and/or liquid alkali to form precipitates of one or more metal species. The precipitates are then removed from the fertilizer solution and the solution dewatered to yield a fertilizer product with lower contaminant levels.

Abstract: A process is provided for removing sulfur dioxide out of gases by feeding the gases into a scrubber, where they are counter-currently contacted with a descending solution containing ammonium hydroxide and ammonium sulfate so that the sulfur dioxide is sorbed into the solution containing ammonium hydroxide and ammonium sulfate and a scrubbed gas is discharged from the scrubber. The sulfur dioxide-loaded solution is collected in a sump at the bottom of the scrubber, where a mixture of ammonia and air is injected into the sulfur dioxide loaded solution so that the ammonia reacts with the sulfur dioxide to produce ammonium sulfite which is (in turn) oxidized by the air into ammonium sulfate. The mixture of air and ammonia is injected into the solution in a direction that is towards the bottom of the sump so that portions of solution containing a higher pH and higher ammonium sulfite levels than the remainder of the solution is avoided, thereby minimizing ammonia slip out of the scrubber.

Abstract: An flue gas scrubbing apparatus and process by which flue gases are contacted by a contact medium while traveling rapidly upward through a passage, such that the contact medium is fully entrained in the upward-flowing flue gases. The gases and the entrained contact medium are then redirected downwardly so that the entrained contact medium impacts the surface of a reservoir of the contact medium contained in the tank, with the result that much of the entrained contact medium is separated from the flue gases. The surface of the reservoir of contact medium causes the flue gases to abruptly change flow direction, flowing horizontally at a reduced velocity so that any remaining contact medium entrained in the gases becomes separated from the gases. After another abrupt change in flow direction, the gases are substantially free of contact medium and can be demisted by conventional means.