This study provides experimental results of pH restoration of acidified desulfurization seawater by the addition of the alkalinity enhanced seawater and additives (limestone and fly ash). The conservative seawater desulfurization processes use chemical solutions such as caustic soda (NaOH) or calcium hydroxide(Ca(OH)2). The method proposed in this study was aimed at reducing usage of chemicals. A control test was conducted to simulate the existing process without addition of the alkalinity-enhanced seawater and additives (limestone and fly ash). The pH of desulfurized seawater was increased by pH 5.84 through the conservative restoration process (i.e., adding raw seawater and NaOH solution followed by aeration). The 20%, 50%, and 80% of added raw seawater was replaced by the alkalinity-enhanced seawater. From the experimental result, 0.28, 0.89, and 1.05 m3/hr of 48% NaOH solution could be saved when applying the proposed method of the alkalinity enhanced seawater addition. When desulfurized seawater with pH 3.5 was mixed with raw seawater at a ratio of 1:1, the pH of seawater was increased up to pH 6. Therefore, the seawater restoration goal was set as pH 3.5. Experiments were conducted to increase pH of desulfurized seawater to pH 3.5 using additives (fly ash and limestone). Based on these results, the addition of fly ash and limestone to seawater was proved effective for pH restoration of desulfurized seawater.

Among many types of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) facilities, wet type FGD using lime or limestone is most popular in the world because of its simplicity of operation and availability of lime and limestone. Seawater desulfurization utilizes the alkalinity of seawater, thus requires no addition of lime and limestone. The efficiency of seawater desulfurization depends on the variation of alkalinity of seawater at different locations. This study presents the effect of gas-water ratio and total alkalinity of absorbing solution on the removal efficiency of sulfur dioxide from the flue gas by means of seawater. Also this study provides an alternative way to increase total alkalinity of seawater by utilizing fly ash from coal-fired power plants. The increase of removal efficiency with increase of alkalinity was measured as 0.26 ± 0.01% per ppm of bicarbonate alkalinity from the set of experiments using seawater, underwater, and distilled water, the alkalinity of which were 111 ppm, 38 ppm, and 1 ppm, respectively. Capability to increase total alkalinity of seawater using fly ash was confirmed.