• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 2018

In Bunsen reaction section for the integrated operation of sulfur-iodine (SI) process, $I_2$ and $H_2O$ reactants are supplied as dissolved species in an $HI_x$ solution. Most of the $H_2SO_4$ product is found in the $HI_x$ phase when Bunsen reaction is performed using the $HI_x$ solution and $SO_2$ feed, so that the volume ratio of the $H_2SO_4$ phase to the $HI_x$ phase is very low. In this study, we investigated the effects of ultrasound irradiation on Bunsen reaction using the $HI_x$ solution to improve its phase separation performance. With ultrasound irradiation, the amount of $H_2SO_4$ moved to the $H_2SO_4$ phase from the $HI_x$ phase increased by up to 58.0 mol% and the volume of $H_2SO_4$ phase also increased by up to 13.1 vol%. In particular, the effect of ultrasound irradiation on the phase separation was improved with decreasing operating temperature, $I_2$ and $H_2O$ feed concentrations. The ultrasound irradiation induces the formation of additional $H_2O$ molecules by shifting microscopically the reaction equilibrium in the $HI_x$ phase. Afterward, the additionally generated $H_2O$ and isolated $H_2SO_4$ molecules form more $H_2SO_4{\cdot}xH_2O$ (x = 5-6) clusters that can be moved to the $H_2SO_4$ phase.