Sulfur Dioxide - As An Air Pollutant

As An Air Pollutant

Sulfur dioxide is a noticeable component in the atmosphere, especially following volcanic eruptions. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (as presented by the 2002 World Almanac or in chart form), the following amount of sulfur dioxide was released in the U.S. per year:

Sulfur dioxide is a major air pollutant and has significant impacts upon human health. In addition the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere can influence the habitat suitability for plant communities as well as animal life. Sulfur dioxide emissions are a precursor to acid rain and atmospheric particulates. Due largely to the US EPA’s Acid Rain Program, the U.S. has witnessed a 33% decrease in emissions between 1983 and 2002. This improvement resulted in part from flue-gas desulfurization, a technology that enables SO₂ to be chemically bound in power plants burning sulfur-containing coal or oil. In particular, calcium oxide (lime) reacts with sulfur dioxide to form calcium sulfite:

CaO + SO₂ → CaSO₃

Aerobic oxidation of the CaSO₃ gives CaSO₄, anhydrite. Most gypsum sold in Europe comes from flue-gas desulfurization.

Sulfur can be removed from coal during the burning process by using limestone as a bed material in Fluidized bed combustion.

Sulfur can also be removed from fuels prior to burning the fuel. This prevents the formation of SO₂ because there is no sulfur in the fuel from which SO₂ can be formed. The Claus process is used in refineries to produce sulfur as a byproduct. The Stretford process has also been used to remove sulfur from fuel. Redox processes using iron oxides can also be used, for example, Lo-Cat or Sulferox.

Fuel additives, such as calcium additives and magnesium oxide, are being used in gasoline and diesel engines in order to lower the emission of sulfur dioxide gases into the atmosphere.

As of 2006, China was the world's largest sulfur dioxide polluter, with 2005 emissions estimated to be 25.49 million tons. This amount represents a 27% increase since 2000, and is roughly comparable with U.S. emissions in 1980.