Research on migration and transformation behavior of selenium during the dual-alkali wet flue gas deacidification process in the simulated flue gas

Selenium easily escapes from the existing air pollution control devices (APCDs) used in municipal waste solid incineration (MSWI), which poses a threat to both the ecosystem and human health. Dual-alkali wet flue gas deacidification (DAWFGD) has been recently applied in MSWI power plants to improve the purification of flue gas. This technology provides a new route for the coordinated control of selenium in the DAWFGD device, which removes acidic gas simultaneously. In this study, a laboratory-scale DAWFGD system was constructed to investigate the migration and transformation behavior of selenium during the absorption and regeneration process in the DAWFGD system. The results showed that the Na2CO3 solution could effectively absorb SeO2, and the absorption efficiency could reach up to 97.09% by increasing the Na2CO3 concentration. High-concentration CO2 has less of an absorption inhibition effect on gaseous selenium compared to low-concentration HCl and SO2. The absorption of SeO2 was adversely affected by the decrease in pH value of the absorption solution caused by an increase in SO2 concentration. However, the addition of a small amount of alkali solution (OH-) into the absorption solution could well recover its absorption performance for SeO2. During the regeneration process, the precipitation ratio of selenium from the aqueous phase to the solid phase increased with the molar ratio of Ca/S increasing. Besides, selenium was found to be in the form of selenite during both the absorption and regeneration processes. This study helps to evaluate the potential of DAWFGD in MSWI power plants for removing SeO2 from flue gas and provides a theoretical reference for the treatment of gas-phase selenium in the waste incineration process.

Automated summary

The DAWFGD technology effectively absorbs gaseous selenium in municipal waste solid incineration and the addition of alkaline solution can recover its absorption performance. This study is significant for evaluating the potential of DAWFGD in removing SeO2 from flue gas in waste incineration.