Effects of SO₂ and SO₃ on the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans by de novo synthesis

The effects of SO2, SO3 on de novo synthesis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were studied using model fly ashes incorporating copper oxide and activated carbon. It was found that the inhibitive effect of SO2 on PCDD/Fs formation is similar to that of SO3. To investigate the inhibition mechanism, CuSO4 formations from both CuO and CuCl2 were examined. The ability of SO3 to convert CuCl2 and CuO on a silica support into sulfate is much stronger than that of SO2. However, replacing silica by activated carbon leads to a much high conversion of CuCl2 to CuSO4 in the presence of SO2. The promotion by activated carbon is explained by the reduction of CuCl2 to Cu2Cl2 and the eventual conversion of Cu2Cl2 into CuSO4 is the main inhibition mechanism of SO2 on de novo synthesis of PCDD/Fs.