A MEMBRANE-BASED PROCESS FOR FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION-

A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE USE OF DOMESTIC COAL RESOURCES TO GENERATE POWER IS THE PRODUCTION OF SO2 IN POWER-PLANT STACK GASES FROM THE COMBUSTION OF SULFUR IN THE COAL. STATE-OF-THE-ART SO2 SCRUBBING TECHNOLOGY, CENTERED AROUND LIQUID/GAS CONTACTORS, IS EXPENSIVE AND HAS OPERATIONAL DRAWBACKS. A NEW TECH- NOLOGY TO BE STUDIED HERE RELIES ON USING SO2-PERMEABLE MEMBRANES TO REMOVE SO2 FROM STACK GASES. THE MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY COULD OVERCOME OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS OF LIQUID/GAS CONTACTORS SUCH AS LIQUID ENTRAINMENT IN THE GAS PHASE, CONTAMINATION OF THE LIQUID PHASE WITH FLY ASH, AND LIQUID FLOODING AND CHANNELING AT HIGH AND LOW LIQUID FLOWS, RESPECTIVELY. IN ADDITION, PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATES PLACE THE CAPITAL COST OF THE MEMBRANE SYSTEMS WELL BELOW THAT OF CONVENTIONAL PACKED TOWERS CURRENTLY USED IN GAS SCRUBBING, EVEN WHEN THE MEMBRANE SYSTEM IS USED TO ACHIEVE A MUCH HIGHER QUALITY (LOWER SO2) STACK GAS. PHASE I IS AIMED AT DEMONSTRATING THE MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY ON A LABORATORY SCALE USING SYNTHETIC STACK GAS. IF SUCCESSFUL, PHASE I WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR PHASE II WHICH WILL FIELD- TEST THE TECHNOLOGY ON A REALISTIC SCALE.