Patent ID: 8470076

Claim:
A method for reducing the formation of polyhalogenated compounds in an incineration plant, comprising the steps of: (i) selectively and chemically separating sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) from a flue gas in at least one washer forming inorganic sulfur compounds; (ii) chemically recovering highly concentrated SO 2 or sulfuric acid from a scrubbing solution of the at least one washer; (iii) re-circulating the recovered SO 2 or sulfuric acid into a combustion chamber of the incineration plant located upstream of the at least one washer; and (iv) repeatedly cycling steps (i)-(iii), thereby forming a process-internal SO 2 or SO 2 /sulfuric acid circuit resulting in increased local SO 2 concentrations in the flue gas between the combustion chamber and the at least one washer, compared to local SO 2 concentrations in the absence of steps (i)-(iv).