Process for Regenerating Permanganate and/or Manganate From Manganese Dioxide

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for regenerating a permanganate and/or a manganate from manganese dioxide discharged from the process for removing NO.sub.x by using the permanganate and/or the manganate.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In a process for absorbing NO.sub.x in an exhaust gas into an alkaline aqueous solution of a manganese oxoacid salt such as potassium permanganate or potassium manganate, the manganese compounds are included in the discharged wastes which causes pollution.

The inventors have studied and proposed to prevent the precipitation of manganese dioxide in a chemical reaction, however it has not been succeeded to prevent the discharge of manganese (VII) (VI) compounds which are discharged with the resulting nitrate and nitrite.

Heretofore, the manganese (VII) (VI) compounds have been reduced to manganese dioxide in pH of about 8, and the precipitated manganese dioxide has been separated and it has been oxidized from Mn.sup.+4 to Mn.sup.+6 by an alkali fusion and it has been further oxidized from Mn.sup.+6 to Mn.sup.+7 by an electrolytic oxidation to attain the regeneration. The process has not been economical to combine it in a line of processes for treating the exhaust gas from the viewpoints of the apparatus and the running cost.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for regenerating manganese (VII) (VI) compounds which is used for absorbing NO.sub.x from an exhaust gas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for converting manganese dioxide to a permanganate and/or a manganate in economical.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention have been attained by dispersing manganese dioxide in an aqueous solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide having a concentration of higher than 20 wt.% and contacting the dispersion with a gas containing NO.sub.x having a molar ratio of NO.sub.2 /NO.sub.x of more than 0.55 at the temperature of higher than 40.degree. C in the presence of a permanganate and/or a manganate.

The inventors have studied to oxidize manganese dioxide to manganese oxoacid salts and have found that the reaction (1) could be rapidly performed in certain condition without an alkali fusion and the reaction (2) could be combined to obtain a permanganate.

Reaction(1):

reaction(2):

the conditions of the reaction (1) were studied by experiments.

That is, aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide having concentrations of 10 to 30% were respectively prepared and manganese dioxide was dispersed in each solution and each dispersion was heated to 50.degree. C and a specific amount of potassium permanganate was added to the dispersions and the mixtures were stirred for 30 minutes. The conversions of Mn.sup.+6 were measured. When the concentration of sodium hydroxide was higher than 20 %, the conversion of Mn.sup.+6 was higher than 80% (as shown in Table 1).

Manganese dioxide was dispersed in each 30% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and the dispersions were respectively heated at 20.degree. C, 40.degree. C, 50.degree. C or 80.degree. C and potassium permanganate was added to them and the mixtures were stirred for 30 minutes. The conversions of Mn.sup.+6 were measured.

When the temperature was higher than 40.degree. C, the conversion was higher than 80%. (as shown in Table 2).

In accordance with the basical experiments, it has been attained to provide the process for continuously regenerating a permanganate and/or a manganate which comprises dispersing manganese dioxide in an aqueous solution of potassium or sodium hydroxide having a concentration of higher than 20 % in the presence of a permanganate at higher than 40.degree. C. In the reaction (2), NO.sub.2 is contacted with the reaction mixture of the reaction (1) which can be carried out as a semi-continuous process.

It has been found that NO.sub.x gas having a molar ratio of NO.sub.2 /NO.sub.x of higher than 0.55 preferably higher than 0.7 can be used in the process of the present invention.

When the process of the present invention is combined with the process for removing NO.sub.x with an alkaline aqueous solution of a permanganate and/or a manganate, the rational process can be attained.

That is, the exhaust gas containing NO.sub.x is contacted with the alkaline aqueous solution of a permanganate and/or a manganate to absorb NO.sub.x and then, the permanganate and/or the manganate in the solution is reduced to precipitate manganese compounds as manganese dioxide is separated and is regenerated a permanganate and/or the manganate by the process of the present invention and the solution containing the permanganate and/or the manganate is continuously fed into the NO.sub.x absorbing solution whereby the trouble of manganese compound in the discharge of the nitrate and the nitrite can be prevented. The process of removing NO.sub.x could be accomplished.

In an absorbing apparatus, NO.sub.x was absorbed in an alkaline aqueous solution of potassium permanganate and manganese compounds were reduced to manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide was separated and dried and dispersed in 30 % aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide at a ratio of 3 wt.% and the dispersion was heated to 50.degree. C, and 1.5 wt.% of potassium permanganate was added to the dispersion. A gas containing 4,300 ppm of NO.sub.x (NO.sub.2 content:85%) was contacted with the dispersion and the concentration of Mn.sup.+6 and Mn.sup.+7 was measured in comparison with those of non-contact of NO.sub.x. The results are shown in Table 3.

The Table 3 shows that the oxidation from Mn.sup.+4 to Mn.sup.+6 was accomplished within 30 minutes and the concentration of the soluble manganese ions reached to 1.1 %.

The practical operation can be carried out as follows. An exhaust gas containing NO.sub.x is fed into the NO.sub.x absorbing apparatus wherein the alkaline aqueous solution of an alkali metal permanganate is contained (at a ratio of 0.5 wt.% as manganese ions). When NO.sub.x is absorbed, the alkali metal nitrate and nitrite are produced. A part of the resulting solution is discharged and is neutralized with a mineral acid whereby the remained manganese ions are reduced by the nitrite to form manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide precipitate is separated and is charged into a regenerating apparatus wherein the aqueous solution of alkali metal hydroxide is contained at high concentration and the permanganate and/or the manganate is also contained. After introducing NO.sub.2 into the dispersion to convert manganese dioxide to the permanganate and/or the manganate (at a ratio of 1.2 wt.% as manganese ions). A part of the solution is recycled to the NO.sub.x absorbing apparatus.