Electric Utility Plant Flue-Gas Desulfurization—A Potential New Market for Lime, Limestone, and Other Carbonate Materials

Abstract

Abstract Among many processes under consideration for flue-gas desulfurization, wet scrubbers that use lime, limestone, or other carbonate materials as the reactant appear to be the most advanced. The quantity of lime, limestone, or other carbonate material required for flue-gas desulfurization for a particular plant would depend on sulfur content and the amount of fuel burned, the type of scrubber system used, and, most important, the level of sulfur oxide emissions permitted for the area. Using 1972 electric utilities fuel consumption data, it is estimated that the widespread installation of wet scrubber systems on steam electric power plants would create a large market for lime, limestone, and other carbonate materials. Over 75 percent of this potential demand would be concentrated in the following eight states: Ohio (15.8%), Indiana (14.0%), Kentucky (9.5%), Pennsylvania (9.4%), Illinois (8.6%), Michigan (8.5%), Alabama (6.8%), and Tennessee (4.6%). The impact of wet scrubber installations on the lime and limestone industry would be substantial. It is estimated that even at 1972 fuel consumption levels the installation of limestone scrubbers could have required up to 28.0 million tons of high calcium limestone or other carbonate materials—equivalent to about 15% of the total amount of high-calcium limestone and other carbonate materials produced in the United States during that year. If, on the other hand, lime scrubbers had been installed, the potential demand would have amounted to at least 10.4 million tons of lime-51.3% more than the amount produced in the United States during 1972.