Removal of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ from flue gas using oxidizing compounds

There are several general methods of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ from flue gas using chemical reactions. The pollutants can be oxidized, reduced, complexed or dissolved. Oxidation of NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ will ultimately yield nitrate (NO/sub 3//sup -/) and sulfate (SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/) when in solution. Reduction will lead to N/sub 2/ and elemental sulfur. Complexation has generally been applied to NO/sub x/ to generate nitrosyl complexes. Since NO/sub x/ is not highly soluble in aqueous solution, dissolution has been generally applied to SO/sub 2/ to generate HSO/sub 3//sup -/ and SO/sub 3//sup 2 -/. It is desirable to develop a single process which acts on both SO/sub 2/ and NO/sub x/ to minimize the complexity of the scrubbing system for the power plant. A suitable oxidizing or reducing system could meet this criterion. The authors have investigated several peroxy compounds to determine their usefulness in removing NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/ from flue gas by oxidation.