pH Control alternative 2

[gladkenn]

Our water conditioning plant use sulfuric acid while our wastewater treatment plant use hydrochloric acid for pH controls. Can we use CO2 from our CO2 plant as an alternative for the said acids in lowering down the pH? What are the means of doing this?

 

[hacksaw]

you can use CO2 depending on the chemistry of your waste water and demand. it has been used in physchem plants to precepitate and neutralize lime.

sulfuric, for example, is used in spent acid plants because it is cheap and readily available.

 

[m777182]

Yes, but it will respond slowlier because CO2 from the gas phase should dissolve first to enable reaction in liquid phase. The system will become highly buffered-with adventages and disadventages. Make some trials first to estimate the amounts of CO2 needed because of buffering. Consider price of CO2:HCl/H2SO4 and the ease of control in both cases!
m777182

 

[gladkenn]

Thank you for the responses!

One thing that concerns be though is the means of doing the alternative for CO2. Will I provide a tank for bubbling the CO2 gas or what? I am in beer manufacturing and CO2 is its by-product.

 

[jalvarez]

I think that the possibility of using CO2 to adjust the pH in your "Water Conditioning Plant" will depend of the nature of your water. Some available drinking waters are CO2 saturated and low or any effect in pH adjustment will be obtained. Suggest to do some lab tests to be sure if you are able to obtain any correction.
The same could be said about your waste water, perhaps.
If it is possible to correct the pH with CO2, I suggest to start analyzing a tank and a gas distributor, there are many equipment suppliers in the waste water treatment field that provide such distributors, big bubbles, small bubbles... Be carefull with foaming to decide what bubble size.
Good luck, have a safe day
J.Alvarez