In addition, unlike traditional scrubbing, preferential oxidation catalysis does not consume costly sodium hydroxide or produce wastewater which is troublesome to dispose of, said Topsoe in a press release.

The innovation was developed and tested in the laboratory and at a small-scale industrial plant in collaboration with Birla Cellulose of the Aditya Birla Group, the world’s leading viscose manufacturer. The aim was to capture sulfur from exhaust gases for reuse in the closed-loop viscose production system, and the results have been encouraging for the commercialisation of the technology.

Topsoe now expects to sign a contract for building a large-scale viscose plant in Xinjiang, China, in partnership with Zhongtai Group. The demonstration plant will be commissioned later in 2019.

“We are very enthusiastic about testing this concept because the existing sulfur management technologies have expensive shortcomings when it comes to treating lean off-gases from viscose production. With the demonstration plant we expect to validate that this new solution cuts cost, secures efficient reuse of carbon disulfide and reduces sulfur emissions,” said He, president assistant, Zhongtai Group.

In many cases, viscose manufacturers already use Topsoe’s Wet Sulfuric Acid (WSA) solution to convert sulfur compounds in rich gases to sulfuric acid that can be reused directly in the processing of cellulose to produce viscose. With the addition of preferential oxidation catalysis for lean gases, Topsoe now offers viscose manufacturers a complete, highly efficient, and cost-effective sulfur management solution.

Preferential oxidation catalysis is part of Topsoe’s comprehensive portfolio of leading sulfur management solutions that are applied in several industries for optimal compliance with emission regulations, capture and reuse of valuable sulfur compounds, e.g. for sulfuric acid, and energy efficiency. (PC)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India