Oxidation of SO2 in a Trickle Bed Reactor Packed with Activated Carbon at Low Liquid Flow Rates

In this study, the oxidation of SO₂ on activated carbon (AcC) by using distilled water and air was carried out in a laboratory scale trickle bed reactor (TBR). Distilled water and air containing 1.7 % (v/v) SO₂ were fed co‐currently downward through a fixed bed of AcC particles in a range of 1–7 cm³/s and 10–27 cm³/s respectively. H₂SO₃/H₂SO₄ solutions were the products obtained in the liquid phase. Steady‐state experiments were performed in a column of 0.15 m packing height and 0.047 m column diameter at 20 °C and atmospheric pressure. Experimental reaction rates of this study were compared with those of other studies on the basis of plug flow model of Mata‐Smith given in literature.