Environmentally friendly treatment of airpollutants: evaluation of cumulative process for flue gas treatment

Abstract

This paper proposes the combination of two different domains; the environment and agriculture. Emission of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides is associated with global acidification (e.g. acid rain), and it has become a serious environmental problem. Meanwhile, the amount of fertilizer consumed globally in 1996 was over 6 times that consumed in 1960. Electron beam flue gas treatment (a dry process) can simultaneously convert sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide and nitrogen oxides into nitrogen fertilizer. This process has been considered costly. An electron beam industrial plant has been built and is currently operating. The data delivered from this industrial plant proves that economic performance of the electron beam process is about the same as that of the conventional wet limestone process.