Many jurisdictions require owners of industrial plants to treat flue gases before they are discharged into the atmosphere. Different substances, such as sodium bicarbonate and lime, can be used to absorb acidic compounds from those flue gases during the discharge process. This article discusses why it may be better for you to use sodium bicarbonate instead of lime during gas treatment at your industrial plant.

Fewer Accident Risks

Employees have to be extremely careful when handling lime during the process of treating the flue gases. This is because lime is caustic and can cause serious injuries in case it accidentally pours on the exposed skin of an employee. Sodium bicarbonate is less caustic when compared to lime. Consequently, your employees are less likely to suffer serious injuries in case an accident occurs and the absorbent (sodium bicarbonate) pours on the exposed skin or eyes of employees.

Lower Energy Consumption

Flue gases should be at an elevated temperature in order for reactions to take place between those exhaust gases and the lime within the flue. This compels facility managers to design heating systems into the channels through which the gases move on their way out of the plant. Those heating systems increase operational costs because they add to the amount of energy required to keep the plant operating. Sodium bicarbonate doesn't require the flue gases to be heated as they are ejected from the system. This means that your operational costs will be lower due to reduced energy consumption.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Heat is a major enemy of industrial equipment because it accelerates the rate at which equipment components age. That is why gas treatment systems that use lime are expensive to maintain. Parts wear out quickly because of the added heat that they are subjected to as flue gases are heated so that they can be treated before they are discharged. Gas treatment systems that use sodium bicarbonate usually last longer because they are not subjected to that extra heat. The total cost of ownership is therefore lower for sodium bicarbonate-based systems as opposed to lime-based gas treatment systems.

Less Residue

Using sodium bicarbonate during gas treatment generates fewer residues when compared to using lime. This is because the additives that are added to the sodium bicarbonate cause water vapour and carbon dioxide to separate from the substance. The separation of those substances causes the volume of the waste product produced to be lower than the waste products produced when lime absorbs acidic compounds during gas treatment.

As you can see, the introduction of sodium bicarbonate has made it possible for owners of industrial plants to enjoy more benefits during gas treatment processes. You should therefore talk to a gas treatment expert at a company like MTA Australasia for advice about how you can retrofit a sodium bicarbonate system at your plant so that you can also enjoy the benefits above.