Within the contact process, SO3 is absorbed into 97% H2SO4 rather than water because___________________?
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Answer: B. Water forms an acid mist, which is difficult to absorb
Explanation
Absorbing sulfur trioxide directly in pure water produces a fine, highly stable sulfuric acid mist. This corrosive aerosol fog is extremely difficult to capture in industrial gas scrubbing equipment. Using concentrated 97 percent sulfuric acid absorbs the trioxide smoothly without forming problematic mists. Sulfur trioxide reacts vigorously with water vapor to form tiny droplets of sulfuric acid. Industrial absorption towers circulate strong acid over packing materials to dissolve the gas efficiently. Water is added continuously to the circulating acid loop to maintain the desired product concentration.
Contact process plants must prevent acid mist emissions to protect the environment and equipment. Safe absorption design ensures high conversion efficiency without losing valuable acid product. Chemical engineers optimize liquid spray rates to maximize gas-liquid contact in absorption towers. Sulfur trioxide is actually extremely soluble in water but the resulting mist creates severe handling issues. Product purity is managed through careful water addition rather than being the primary reason against direct water absorption. Scale formation is controlled by water balance rather than the choice of absorbing liquid strength.
- Subject
- Engineering
- Category
- Chemical Engineering
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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