×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

CO2 vs H2SO4

CO2 vs H2SO4

CO2 vs H2SO4

(OP)
Hi everybody. I would like to learn the advantages & disadvantiges of using CO2 instead of H2SO4 for ph reduction in a water treatment plant.
Thank's.

RE: CO2 vs H2SO4

The primary advantage is that CO2 has less exposure hazards than strong acid, and control is easier due to the buffer solution that forms. The buffer solution effect will mitigate the effects of over addition which can be quite serious with a strong acid based system. There may be a cost advantage also.

In several of our plants we have changed to CO2 based nuetralization with very good results. Praxair was really pushing this technology at one time so maybe they can be a good contact for evaluating a CO2 based system.

best wishes,
sshep

RE: CO2 vs H2SO4

The big disadvantage is cost. It is difficult to dissolve the CO2 in water, so you end up with an inefficient reaction. The gas escapes into the air rather than the water. The best systems use a staged dissolving process, where you first dissolve the CO2 into a carrier water stream. The carrier stream is then added to the process stream to change the water pH.

http://www.digital-analysis.com/CarbonDioxide.htm

Additionally CO2 is not corrosive as a gas, however, since CO2 is heavier than air asphyxiation is always a hazard.

You also should be aware that the dissolved CO2 increases the water alkalinity. If you have water with hardness in it, you can create a water that has the potential to scale.

http://www.phcontrol.com/wt2.htm

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources