Taconite BART Analysis

SOx Control

Available and Applicable Review

Reference(s) 

Reference No.

1

SO2 Pollution Control Technology Available? Applicable?

MPCA Taconite 

BART Report

MPCA BART 

Guidance 

(Attachment 2)

Other

2

Comments Basic Principle

1 Wet Scrubbing (High Efficiency) Yes Yes x x x Absorption and reaction using an alkaline reagent to prod

2 Wet Scrubbing (Low Efficiency) Yes Yes x x x Absorption and reaction using an alkaline reagent to prod

3 Wet Walled Electrostatic Precipitator (WWESP) Yes Yes x x Existing fabric filter control Suspended particles are separated from the flue gas stream

hoppers

4 Dry sorbent injection Yes Yes x x x

Pulverized lime or limestone is directly injected into the dsorption of SO2 onto the lime or limestone particle occurs 

with a fabric filter

5 Spray Dryer Absorption (SDA) Yes Yes x x Lime slurry is sprayed into an absorption tower where SO

CaSO3/CaSO4

6 Alternative Fuels Yes Yes x x Not permitted for other fuels. Use a fuel with lower sulfur content.

7 Load Reduction Yes No x Could reduce production This is a strategy to reduce load on a power plant by redu

efficiency projects.

8 Energy Efficiency Projects Yes Yes x decrease amount of fuel required to make an acceptable p

9 Coal Drying Yes Yes x Requires available excess heat source Dry coal will increase the as-burned BTU value, and there

burned. Specific energy efficiency project

10 Bio Filters No No x Research level

Gas stream passes through a packed bed of specially engi

growth of active bacterial species. The pollutants in the gabiotransformed into innocuous products, such as carbon dsulfate or nitrate ions in water.

11 CANSOLV Regenerable SO2 No No x Research level

An aqueous solution of proprietary diamine captures SO2 

absorption tower. The rich solvent is regenerated by steam pure, water saturated SO2 gas and lean solvent for recycli

12 Pahlman Process No No x Research level

Gas stream is passed through a filter baghouse in which shigh-surface area metal oxide sorbent have been deployedgases by adsorption.

13 SOx-NOx-Rox-Box No No x Technology has not been demonstrated Dry sorbent injection upstream of the baghouse for remov

upstream of a zeolitic selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to reduce NOx emissions.

14 Electron (E-Beam) Process No No x

No operating commercial applications on coal

Electron beam irradiation in the presence of ammonia to iand nitrogen oxides into components which can be easily such as an ESP or baghouse.

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Reference(s) 

Reference No.

1

SO2 Pollution Control Technology Available? Applicable?

MPCA Taconite 

BART Report

MPCA BART 

Guidance 

(Attachment 2)

Other

2

Comments Basic Principle

15 Electrocatalytic Oxidation No No x

Similar to cold plasma. Will keep 

watch for availability of this technology

Utilizes a reactor in which SO2, NOx, and mercury are ox

sulfuric acid, and mercuric oxide respectively using non-tOn recent project, the vender was doing final trials on ful

16 NOXSO No No

Commercial version of adsorption. Limited experience (proof-of-concept tests).

Uses a regenerable sorbent to simultaneously adsorb SO2 

fired utility and industrial boilers. In the process, the SO2 

product (liquid SO2, elemental sulfur, or sulfuric acid) an

and oxygen.

17 Copper-Oxide No No x

Absorption and SCR. Experience limited to pilot scale.

SO2 in the flue gas reacts with copper oxide, supported on 

copper sulfate. Ammonia is injected into the flue gas befoselective catalytic reduction-type reaction occurs that reduIn the regeneration step, the copper sulfate is reduced in a such as natural gas, producing a concentrated stream of S

18 SNOX No No x Early commercial development stage

Catalytic reduction of NOx in the presence of ammonia (N

of SO2 to SO3. The exit gas from the SO3 converter passe

condenser in which the SO3 is hydrated to H2SO4 vapor a

liquid sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

19 Cold Plasma No No x Research level

1) This number is for reference only. It does not in any way rank the control technologies.

2) a) Air Pollution: Its Origin And Control. Wark, Kenneth; Warner, Cecil F.; and Davis, Wayne T. 1998. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. b) US EPA Basic Concepts in Environmental Science, Module 6, http://www.epa.gov/eogapti1/module6/index.htm

 c) New and Emerging Environmental Technologies, http://neet.rti.org/ d) ND BART Reports

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