Status and perspectives for the electron beam technology for flue gases treatment

The electron-beam process is one of the most effective methods of removing SO₂ and NO_x from industrial flue gases. This flue gas treatment consists of adding a small amount of ammonia to the flue gas and irradiating the gas by means of an electron beam, thereby causing reactions which convert the SO₂ and NO_x to ammonium sulfate and ammonium sulfate-nitrate. These salts may the be collected from the flue gas by means of such conventional collectors as an electrostatic precipitator or baghouse. This process has numerous advantages over currently-used conventional processes as follows: (1) the process simultaneously removes SO₂ and NO_x from flue gas at high efficiency levels; (2) it is a dry process which is easily controlled and has excellent load-following capability; (3) stack-gas reheat is not required; (4) the pollutants are converted into a saleable agricultural fertilizer; (5) the process has low capital and operating cost requirements. The history of the process is shown with a summary of the work that is presently underway. All of the current work is for the purpose of fine tuning the process for commercial usage. It is believed that with current testing and improvements, the process will be very competitive with existing processes and it will find its place in an environmental conscious world.