Method for removing sulfur and nitrogen compounds from a gas mixture

Claim 1

A process for the removal of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from gas mixtures including, (a) contacting a gas mixture containing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides with an aqueous slurry at a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 containing lime/limestone and dissolved chelated iron and providing residence time for said slurry after its contact with said gas mixture to permit further reaction whereby said sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are reacted with said slurry and whereby sulfur compounds are precipitated therefrom and dissolved nitrogen-containing compounds are formed, (b) continuously bleeding a portion of the reacted slurry at a pH of 4.5 to 6.0 into a first thickening zone, (c) separating said precipitated sulfur compounds from the slurry liquids in the first thickening zone and decanting the slurry liquids containing the dissolved chelated iron and dissolved nitrogen-containing compounds into an oxidizing zone, (d) passing air through the decanted liquids in the oxidizing zone until the pH has been lowered to 2.0 to 3.0 in the precipitation of the chelated iron, (e) separating said precipitated chelated iron from the liquid containing the nitrogen-containing compounds and recycling the chelated iron to the aqueous slurry for contacting the gas mixture, (f) adding lime to the separated liquids containing the nitrogen-containing compounds to raise the pH and to form ammonia and precipitated sulfur compounds, (g) separating the precipitated sulfur compounds from the liquid and stripping ammmonia from the liquid.