Process for reducing gaseous sulfur dioxide content of flue gases by preheating coals prior to burning such coals and by controlling combustion temperature levels

Claim 1

A process for reducing the gaseous sulfur oxide content of flue gases produced by burning coal, comprising the steps of: transporting coal containing sulfur and weakly bound cations selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals in ion exchangeable form from a storage zone to a combustion zone; preheating the coal, while so transporting the coal from the storage zone to the combustion zone, at a preheat temerature level ranging from about 200° C. to less than about 600° C. for a preheat period of time ranging from at least one minute to less than the time required for complete combustion of such coal by contacting the coal to be preheated with at least a portion of the flue gases produced by burning the coal and passed from the combustion zone, the flue gases providing at least some of the heat for preheating the coal; burning the preheated coal in the combustion zone at a combustion temperature level and for a combustion period of time thereby producing heated flue gases and an ash residue, a substantial portion of the sulfur in the coal being converted to sulfates remaining in the ash residue thereby reducing the gaseous sulfur dioxide content in the flue gases produced by burning such coals; passing the flue gases from the combustion zone; and controlling the combustion temperature level in the combustion zone within a range of from about 450° C. to about 1000° C. to increase the amount of sulfur being converted to sulfates and remaining in the ash residue.