South Africa: Sulfur Emissions Control
Anglo American Platinum Signs Contract for Topsoe's WSA Technology
| Editor: Alexander Stark
Anglo American Platinum has signed a contract for Topsoe’s world-leading Wet gas Sulfuric Acid (WSA) sulfur emissions control technology for their platinum smelter facility in Polokwane, South Africa.
Lyngby/Denmark — The WSA plant is designed to reduce emissions of SO2 from the platinum smelter from around 90,000 mg/Nm3 to less than 1,200 mg/Nm3. It will produce up to 148 tons per day of sulfuric acid.
According to Dr. Lloyd Nelson, Head of Smelting & Refining Technology, Metallurgy, Anglo American Platinum, sulfur emissions control has become a business prerequisite in the South African smelter industry. He said that his company wanted a solution that would ensure environmental compliance now and in the foreseeable future as well as make a convincing business case. WSA ticked both fields, he added.
Newly enforced regulations in South Africa limit the emission of sulfur (SO2) and require sulfur-emitting facilities to install an abatement technology. WSA is a sulfur emissions control technology for wet gas applications. Its recovery of process heat makes it energy-efficient and consequently it uses no or very little support fuel, the company claims, adding that WSA would not produce any waste and required only minimal cooling water.
