Spectral Studies of Hydrogen Bonding and Interaction in the Absorption Processes of Sulfur Dioxide in Poly(ethylene glycol) 400 + Water Binary System

Abstract

In previous work, poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PEG) (1) + water (2) solutions (PEGWs) were used as a promising medium for the absorption processes of SO2. When conventional UV, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques were used for inspection of spectral changes of PEGWs with increasing SO2 concentration, the spectral results suggest that H2O can interact with PEG by hydrogen bonds in PEGW; furthermore, SO2 can interact with PEG in various PEGWs by hydrogen-bonding interactions in the absorption processes of SO2. The results of this work can be used to provide important absorption mechanism for the design and operation of the absorption and desorption process in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) with potential industrial application of PEG aqueous solutions.