... energy generation became localised in large centralised facilities, such as those designed to produce electricity. These attempted to improve the local environment around them by building taller and taller stacks to disperse the gases higher into the atmosphere. Consequently, gases were spread more thinly, but over a much larger area. Legislative controls on emissions of SO2 have forced the introduction of desulphurisation methods in some countries, amongst which fluidised gas and lime based systems have been used. SO2 is dispersed from high stacks and its residual time in the atmosphere depends on environmental factors such as humidity, solar irradiance, and its solubility. Highly soluble H2S has a short residual time of minutes, whereas SO2 may have a residual time of a magnitude longer, up to hours. While SO2 is in its gaseous form it is unlikely to react. However, it will, in moist air, tend to become dissolved in water. SO2 ...

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