Research on the Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of SO 2 to Recover S 0 by Pb Electrode.

Resource utilization of SO₂ from flue gas is a key challenge for the green development of the smelting industry. Recovery of sulfur resources in the form of elemental sulfur (S⁰), which has a high market demand and is a current focus in the field of SO₂ treatment, can reduce the solid waste from desulfurization. In this study, it was found that Pb as a cathode material had good catalytic activity for the electrochemical reduction of SO₂ and good selectivity towards elemental sulfur. However, the cathode suffers from sulfur poisoning. The problem was resolved by introducing surfactant, specifically sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), which significantly lowered the sulfur content ratio on the surface of the electrode from 31.82% to 2.17%. Through the optimization of electrocatalytic parameters, this method enables efficient conversion of SO₂ to S⁰, achieving a selectivity of 83% at pH = 0.25 and E = −0.8 V (vs. SCE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]