Abstract
The pulp and paper industry often encounters challenges that require process improvements to remain competitive. These challenges may include the requirement to meet more stringent environmental regulations, stricter energy policies, or the need to improve product quality, increase production capacity and profitability. As a result, the pulp mills of today have to focus on becoming more efficient by possessing an effective chemical recovery system and reducing chemical losses. The high degree of closure is beneficial for environment, water consumption and mill economy but can upset the Na/S balance and increase the build-up of non-process elements in the system. Installing an acid plant to convert the sulfur containing Non Condensable Gases (NCG) into sulfuric acid will eliminate the NCG as a sulfur input to the recovery cycle, eliminate purchases of sulfuric acid, reduce caustic purchases, and produce additional steam that will positively impact the mill’s heat balance. This paper provides an overview of the OptimumAcid™ technology required to produce sulfuric acid in a pulp mill from NCG, presents some of the unique challenges related to feed variability, and discusses some of the technical features of NORAM’s sulfuric acid OptimumAcid™ process technology and equipment.
Funding statement: Authors state no funding involved.
-
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
Bucher, W., Carwile, D., Lockhart, J., Wearing, J.T. (2009) Commercial recovery of ClO2 generator sesquisulfate by-product using short column resin bed technology. In: Tappi Engineering Pulping and Environemental Conference, October 2009, Memphis, Tennessee.Search in Google Scholar
Burns, A., Brereton, C. (2018) Electrolytic Salt Splitting for Sulfuric Acid and Caustic Recovery: Can It Be Cost-Effective? In: Extraction. pp. 1867–1882.10.1007/978-3-319-95022-8_155Search in Google Scholar
Johnson, S.E., Nicolas, P. (1997) Tall Oil recovery with carbondioxide – A cost effective solution to reduce sulfur input to the kraft recovery cycle. In: Emerging Technologies Conference, March 1997, Orlando, USA.Search in Google Scholar
Louie, D.K. Handbook of sulfuric acid manufacturing. DKL Engineering, Richmond Hill, Canada, 2008.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Guy Cooper, C. (2012) Clean and efficient sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide manufacture. In: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Conference Chapter of the 36th International Phosphate Fertilizer & Sulfuric Acid Technology Conference. Oral presentation, June 8–9, 2012, Clearwater, USA. www.aiche-cf.org.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Guy Cooper, C., Aksenov, I., Nikolaisen, K. (2013) Debottlenecking metallurgical and sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plants to increase capacity and reduce emissions. In: Sulfur 2013, CRU British Sulfur: Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid and Sulfur Dioxide, pp. 157–174. Oral presentation, November 4–7, 2013, Miami, USA.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Guy Cooper, C., Nikolaisen, K. (2014) The suitability of double-absorption and scrubbing technologies to meet new emission standards. In: X Round Table of Sulfuric Acid Plants (Mesa Redonda de Plantas de Ácido Sulfúrico). pp. 251–266. Oral presentation, November 16–20, 2014, Punta Arenas, Chile.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Guy Cooper, C., Nikolaisen, K., Morrison, B., Ferris, B., Lu, H., Sandhu, J.P., Lourenco, V., Aksenov, I., Mah, T., Chow, B., Li, L., Orlando, J., Faraji, D., Mohsin, M. (2016) Sulfuric Acid Plant Modernization Projects: Project Execution Strategy And Use Of Improved Technologies. In: Book of Proceedings for Sulfur 2017, CRU British Sulfur: Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid and Sulfur Dioxide. pp.283–296.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Morrison, B., Ferris, B., Lu, H., Sandhu, J.P., Guy Cooper, C., Chan, N., Juzenas, G., Hamilton, T. (2016) Upgrading a sulfuric acid plant: project execution strategy and performance evaluation. In: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Conference, Chapter of the 40th International Phosphate Fertilizer & Sulfuric Acid Technology Conference. www.aiche-cf.org.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Nikolaisen, K., Guy Cooper, C., Lourenco, V., Aksenov, I. (2014) Strong sulfuric acid system upgrades – opportunities in acid plant retrofits. In: Sulfur 2014, CRU British Sulfur: Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid and Sulfur Dioxide. pp. 445–457. Oral presentation, November 3–6, 2014, Paris, France.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Nikolaisen, K., Loutet, K., Guy Cooper, C. (2015) SO2 supplementation to stabilize metallurgical plants. In: Sulfur 2015, CRU British Sulfur: Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid and Sulfur Dioxide. Oral presentation, November 9–12, 2015, Toronto, Canada.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Nikolaisen, K., Morrison, B., Guy Cooper, C., Ferris, B., Okrusko, N. (2017) New Emissions Reduction Process for Side-by-Side Plants. In: Book of Proceedings for Sulfur 2017, CRU British Sulfur: Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid and Sulfur Dioxide. pp. 245–260.Search in Google Scholar
Mahecha-Botero, A., Seco, I.M.C.L., Guy Cooper, C., Wearing, J.T., Foan, J. (2018) Use of Non-Condensable Gases in Pulp Mills to produce Concentrated Sulfuric Acid and Steam. In: International Forest Pulp and Paper Conference, October 2018, Aviero, Portugal.Search in Google Scholar
Nikolaisen, K., Mahecha-Botero, A., Guy Cooper, C. (2015) Strategies for reducing start-up emissions from sulfuric acid plants. In: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Conference, Chapter of the 39th International Phosphate Fertilizer & Sulfuric Acid Technology Conference. Oral presentation, June 5–6, 2015, Clearwater, USA, www.aiche-cf.org.Search in Google Scholar
Warnqvist, B. (1996) Handling Alkali and Sulfur Balances. In: Closed-Cycle Bleached Kraft Pulp Mills – Options, technology and Costs, Minimum Effluent Mills Symposium Proceedings 1996.Search in Google Scholar
Yoon, S.-H., Chai, X.-S., Zhu, J.Y., Li, J., Malcolm, E.W. (2010) In-Digester Reduction of Organic Sulfur Compounds in Kraft Pulping. Adv. Environ. Res. 5(1):91–98.10.1016/S1093-0191(00)00045-9Search in Google Scholar
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
