• Clean Technology
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.96-108
• /
• 1996

$NO_x$ is mainly emitted from mixed acid pickling process in the stainless industry and its impact to the environment has been worried over. This study which may be considered as one of the development of clean technologies, differing from the traditional end pipe technology is about how to reduce $NO_x$ emission through the modification of corresponding process. This study consists of two parts. First, the influence of various reaction parameters in a acid pickling process on $NO_x$ emission was investigated. Second, the influence of hydrogen peroxide on $NO_x$ formation, which is known as inhibitor of $NO_x$ emission, was investigated. Major findings in this study are as follows. The important reaction parameters which have a great influence on $NO_x$ emission are the reaction temperature and the concentration of fluoric acid. The concentration of nitric acid, some of which results in $NO_x$ compound is not as important as the concentration of fluoric acid. Synthetic mixed acid of nitric acid and fluoric acid itself in absent of pickling plate contributed the $NO_x$ emission, however, its impact was negligible in terms of quantity. The addition of hydrogen peroxide to the acid pickling process significantly contributed to the reduction of $NO_x$ emission and successfully achieved 80% reduction of $NO_x$ emission at the condition of $9.51{\times}10^{-2}mole\;hydrogen\;peroxide/m^2$ pickling area. This result was compared to literature value from Avesta steel process, indicating a sixth of hydrogen peroxide addition of Avesta's in achieving a same amount of $NO_x$ reduction. The region of the economic hydrogen peroxide addition per unit area of plate to be pickled from the result of this study was established.