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A Review on Ionic Liquids as Novel Absorbents for SO2 Removal

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Environmental Processes and Management

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 91))

Abstract

SO2 emissions are a significant source of atmospheric pollution. The natural sources such as biological decay and sea spray emit about 130 million tons of sulfur per year, and the anthropogenic sources such as coal combustion, petroleum, and smelting operations release an additional 132 million tons of sulfur dioxide annually into the atmosphere. The largest signal contribution to the anthropogenic emission of about 70% is made by coal combustion. The natural sources of sulfur dioxide are probably present in gases emitted all through the volcanic activity. Additionally, SO2 emissions contribute to the formation of smog, which is a significant human health concern. SO2 also induces an involuntary coughing reflex. The taste threshold limit is 0.3 ppm while SO2 produces an unpleasant smell at 0.5 ppm. However, the identification of a material that can selectively and reversibly capture SO2 has proven to be difficult. This paper critically discusses the recent advances of ionic liquids for SO2 capture, including the absorption capacity, desorption performance of various other absorbents like wet lime and wet limestone. In addition, some strategies recently developed to enhance the absorption processes have been briefly introduced, such as ionic liquid mixtures, solidified ionic liquids. Moreover, the drawbacks of the industrial application of this technology have been proposed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, 302017, India

    Avanish Kumar

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  1. Avanish Kumar
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Correspondence to Avanish Kumar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Raj Mohan Singh

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Prabhakar Shukla

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Prachi Singh

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Kumar, A. (2020). A Review on Ionic Liquids as Novel Absorbents for SO2 Removal. In: Singh, R., Shukla, P., Singh, P. (eds) Environmental Processes and Management. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 91. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38152-3_15

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