COS,CS2 and SO2 in aluminium smelter exhaust

Measurements of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbondisulfide (CS₂) were carried out on samples drawn from a smoke stack of an aluminium smelter. Volume mixing ratios of 6 ppm COS and 0.1 ppm CS₂ were measured for gases from the electrolysis unit that had previously passed an Al₂O₃ fluid bed reactor and electrostatic precipitators. Specific emissions of 1.6 kg COS and 0.03 kg CS₂ per ton of primary aluminium were found. Extrapolating from this particular smelter’s conditions to a world mix specific COS emissions of about 4 kg/t(Al) are calculated resulting in emissions of annually 0.08 Tg COS into the atmosphere due to electrolytic aluminium production in 1995. Besides the photochemical conversion of anthropogenic CS₂ aluminium production is established to be the second major industrial source of COS probably exceeding automotive tire wear’s and coal combustion’s contributions.