Method for separating solids from gas scrubbers

1. A method for separating a solid from a gas scrubber, comprising:

collecting a solids burden not collected at a solids-collection device of a flue gas desulfurization system by adding at least one flocculant, flocculation aid or mixtures thereof, while using a separating device;

wherein said flocculant, flocculation aid or mixtures thereof are a cationic acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ester or copolymer of such ester with acrylamide;

wherein the addition of the flocculant, flocculation aid or mixtures thereof into the separating device results in agglomeration of the particles, the agglomerated particles having a particle and/or floc diameter of at least >15 μm;

wherein said flue-gas desulfurization system comprises

at least one absorption device, which is disposed downstream from said solids-collection device,

wherein absorption device is a prescrubber of said flue-gas desulfurization system;

wherein a proportioning device for proportioning the flocculant and/or flocculation aid is disposed upstream from the separating device; and

said separating device is integrated in a prescrubber circuit; and

wherein the solids burden in the absorption device is less than 2 g of solids per liter of scrubbing fluid.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein an electrofilter is used as the solids-collection device.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein a sulfur dioxide absorption system is used as the absorption device.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein a hydrocyclone is used as the separating device.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein solid/liquid separation is performed by addition of at least one flocculant, flocculation aid or mixtures thereof into the separating device.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein a hydrocyclone is used as the separating device.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the flocculant, flocculation aid or mixtures thereof comprise a water-in-water polymer dispersion.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising branching off a partial stream from the absorption device to the separating device, and,

after solid/liquid separation has taken place in the separating device, separating said branched off partial stream as overflow and underflow,

returning a fine fraction to the absorption system while feeding the coarse fraction in the underflow to a wastewater device.