Sulfur recovery method

Claim 1

In the method of removing sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) from the exhaust gases of a sulfide ore smelter or the like, wherein the exhaust gases contain at least about 2% SO 2 and are subjected to liquid spray scrubbing on a continuous basis in scrubbing tower means at essentially ambient pressure to remove SO 2 prior to discharge of the gases to the atmosphere and wherein the scrubbing liquid outflow from the scrubbing tower means is processed to remove the SO 2 and at least in part recycled through the scrubbing tower means, the improvements in said method comprising: a. by refrigeration, cooling the exhaust gases to a temperature of about 40°-60° F. prior to introduction thereof to said scrubbing tower means; b. by refrigeration, cooling the scrubbing liquid recycled through said scrubbing tower means so that it is also at a temperature of about 40°-60° F. during contact thereof with the exhaust gases; c. recycling the scrubbing liquid from one cycling tank to said scrubbing lower means, while simultaneously passing scrubbing liquid previously collected in another cycling tank to a solid sulfite separation state wherein lime is added to the scrubbing liquid in substantially stoichiometric proportion to precipitate and remove essentially all of the SO 2 content from the liquid as calcium sulphite, and returning the desulphitized liquid to such other cycling tank; d. interrupting the recycling of the scrubbing liquid from the one cycling tank to the scrubbing tower means at a time when the SO 2 content thereof is still at a concentration substantially less than the saturation concentration thereof in the scrubbing liquid so that no SO 2 containing precipitate is present in the scrubbing tower means, and initiating the recycling of desulphitized scrubbing liquid to said scrubbing tower means from another cycling tank; e. interrupting the recycling of the scrubbing liquid from such other cycling tank to the scrubbing tower means at a time when the SO 2 content thereof is still at concentration substantially less than the saturation concentration thereof in the scrubbing liquid so that no SO 2 containing precipitate is present in the scrubbing tower means; and f. desulphitizing the scrubbing liquid in such other cycling tank in like manner as in step (c) while recycling desulphitized scrubbing liquid from the one cycling tank to the scrubbing tower means, and so on, cyclically; the spray scrubbing of the exhaust gases being thereby carried out on a continuous basis at low temperature and without any SO 2 containing precipitate being present in the scrubbing tower means, while the scrubbing liquid is thereby desulphitized on a batch basis.