Technology - SATCO™
February 19, 2003

Introduction

SATCO™ – Sulphuric Acid by Thermal Cracking Oxidation

The SATCO™ process regenerates spent sulphuric acid to obtain a highly pure product that is equivalent in quality to “virgin” sulphuric acid and complies with the most stringent standards.  The first SATCO™ process went into operation in the USA in 1943.   The process was developed by Rhone-Poulenc has has been refined over the years through the design and operation of 9 plants world-wide.

Spent acid comes from a number of different process such as alkylation , sulfonation, nitration and gas drying/purification.  The SATCO™ process introduces the spent sulphuric acid into a 1000°C furnace where the H₂SO₄ molecule ‘cracks’ yielding SO₂ and H₂O.  The organic contaminates are oxidized to carbon dioxide.   Inorganic contaminates are transformed into ash, an inert material.

The gas leaving the furnace is cooled in a waste heat boiler generating steam for process use or the generation of electricity.  The cooled gas enters a conventional gas cleaning system followed by a contact sulphuric acid plant.

The SATCO™ process is essentially what we now refer to as a Sulphuric Acid Regeneration (SAR) plant but with the experience and know-how of 60 years of plant operation.