ChE 3757
Environmental
Management and
control
Dr. Mahbuba Jannat
Scrubber
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Scrubber
• The scrubbing process is a unit operation in which one or
more components of a gas stream are selectively absorbed
into an absorbent. The term “scrubbing” is used
interchangeably with “absorption” when describing this
process
• In comparison to other air pollution control devices, scrubbers
are very multi disciplinary, with the ability to remove solids,
mists, and gases simultaneously while also providing cooling
• They are also capable of handling explosive and flammable
gases safely.
• However, scrubbers suffer from high levels of corrosion and
produce slurry waste streams which are less convenient for
recycling and disposal
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Scrubber
2 types: dry and wet scrubbers
In wet scrubbing, water is the most common choice of
absorbent liquor. In special cases, another relatively non volatile
liquid may be used as the absorbent.
In dry scrubbing (dry and semi-dry), a dry powder or semi dry
slurry are also possible absorbents, depending on the
requirements of a given situation
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Types of wet scrubber
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Advantage of wet scrubber
• A disadvantage of cyclones and inertial collectors is that dust
particles are frequently swept back in to the exiting air stream.
• Wet scrubbers are designed to overcome this disadvantage.
• Wet scrubber employs a liquid to form a surface to entrain the
particles being carried.
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Spray scrubber
• Spray scrubbers consist of an empty
cylindrical chamber in which dust-laden
air is contacted with water from spray
nozzles.
• The dust-laden air enters the tower near
the bottom and passes upward through
the water spray.
• The spray knocks down the dust that
leaves the bottom of the unit as a dust-
water mixture.
• An entrainment separator is mounted in
the upper part of the chamber to reduce
the potential spray carryover into the
exiting gas stream. 7
Wet Cyclone Scrubber
• This air washer is a variation on
the dry cyclone separator.
• The wet collector is equipped with
spray nozzles that atomize water.
Dust-laden air enters tangentially
near the bottom of the unit spirally
upward into the water spray.
• Plugging of the nozzles is a high-
maintenance item.
• A baffle or impingement device is
often installed in the center of the
chamber to break up the swirling
air-water-dust stream.
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Venturi Scrubbers
• Venturi scrubbers use a liquid
stream to remove solid particles.
• In the venturi scrubber, gas
laden with particulate matter
passes through a short tube with
flared ends and a constricted
middle.
• This constriction causes the gas
stream to speed up when the
pressure drop is increased.
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Particulate control system
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Control of gaseous pollutants
•The most common method for controlling gaseous
pollutants is the addition of add-on control devices to
recover or destroy a pollutant.
•There are four commonly used control technologies for
gaseous pollutants:
–Absorption,
–Adsorption,
–Condensation, and
–Incineration (combustion)
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Absorption
• The removal of one or more
selected components from a gas
mixture by absorption is probably
the most important operation in the
control of gaseous pollutant
emissions.
• Absorption is a process in which a
gaseous pollutant is dissolved in a
liquid.
• Absorbers are often referred to as
scrubbers, and there are various
types of absorption equipment
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Absorption
• The principal types of gas absorption equipment include
spray towers, packed columns, spray chambers, and
venturi scrubbers.
• In general, absorbers can achieve removal efficiencies
grater than 95 percent. One potential problem with
absorption is the generation of wastewater, which converts
an air pollution problem to a water pollution problem.
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Condensation
In a contact condenser,
the gas comes into contact
with cold liquid
Contact condenser
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Condensation
• In a surface condenser, the
gas contacts a cooled surface
in which cooled liquid or gas
is circulated, such as the
outside of the tube.
• Removal efficiencies of
condensers typically range
from 50 percent to more than
95 percent, depending on
design and applications. Surface condenser
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Adsorption (VOC removal)
• When a gas or vapor is brought into contact with a solid, part
of it is taken up by the solid. The molecules that disappear
from the gas either enter the inside of the solid, or remain on
the outside attached to the surface. The former phenomenon
is termed as absorption.
• The most common industrial adsorbents are activated
carbon, silica gel, and alumina, because they have
enormous surface areas per unit weight.
• Activated carbon is the universal standard for purification
and removal of trace organic contaminants from liquid and
vapor streams 16
Incineration
• Incineration, also known as combustion, is most used to
control the emissions of organic compounds from
process industries.
• This control technique refers to the rapid oxidation of a
substance through the combination of oxygen with a
combustible material in the presence of heat.
• When combustion is complete, the gaseous stream is
converted to carbon dioxide and water vapor.
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Incineration
Equipment used to control waste gases by combustion can
be divided in three categories:
– Direct combustion or flaring
– Thermal incineration and
– Catalytic incineration.
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Direct Combustor
• Direct combustor is a device in which air and all the
combustible waste gases react at the burner. Complete
combustion must occur instantaneously since there is no
residence chamber.
• A flare can be used to control almost any emission
stream containing volatile organic compounds.
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Thermal Oxidation
• Thermal oxidation (thermal incineration) is a widely
used air pollution control technique whereby organic
vapors are oxidized at high temperatures. Incineration
(both thermal oxidation and catalytic oxidation) is
considered an ultimate disposal method in that
organic compounds in a waste gas stream are
converted to
carbon dioxide,
water, and
other inorganic gases
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Thermal Oxidation
In thermal incineration, contaminant laden waste gas is
heated to a high temperature (above 1000ºF) at which
the organic contaminants are burned with air in the
presence of oxygen.
A major advantage of incineration is that virtually any
gaseous organic stream can be incinerated safely and
cleanly, given proper design, engineering, installation,
operation, and maintenance.
Also, high (99% and higher) destruction efficiencies are
possible with a wide variety of emission streams.
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Catalytic Oxidation
In catalytic incinerators, the flame-based
incineration concept is modified by adding a
catalyst to promote the oxidation reaction,
allowing faster reaction and/or reduced reaction
temperature.
A faster reaction requires a smaller vessel, thus
reducing capital costs and low operating
temperatures generally and reduced auxiliary fuel
requirements, thus reducing operating costs
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Catalytic Oxidation
• Catalytic incineration is most suitable for treatment of
emission streams containing a low concentration of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It may allow a
more cost effective operation compared to thermal
incineration processes. Catalytic incineration is not as
broadly used as thermal incineration because of its
greater sensitivity to pollutant characteristics and process
conditions
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Selection of Catalysts
Catalysts such as chrome/alumina, cobalt oxide, and copper
oxide/manganese oxide have been demonstrated to
control an emission stream containing chlorinated
compounds.
Platinum-based catalysts are often employed for the control
of sulfur-containing VOCs but are sensitive to chlorine
poisoning.
Compounds containing lead, arsenic, and phosphorus simply
do not lend themselves well to catalytic oxidation.
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Selective catalytic reduction(SCR)
• Selective catalytic reduction(SCR) is a means of converting
nitrogen oxides, also referred to as NOx with the aid of a
catalyst into diatomic nitrogen(N2), and water(H2O).
• A gaseous reductant, typically anhydrous ammonia, aqueous
ammonia or urea, is added to a stream of flue or exhaust gas
and is adsorbed onto a catalyst. Carbon dioxide,CO2 is a
reaction product when urea is used as the reductant.
• Commercial selective catalytic reduction systems are typically
found on large utility boilers, industrial boilers, and municipal
solid waste boilers and have been shown to reduce NOx by
70-95%. 25
Reactions
• The NOx reduction reaction takes place as the gases pass
through the catalyst chamber. Before entering the catalyst
chamber the ammonia, or other reductant (such as urea), is
injected and mixed with the gases. The chemical equation for
a stoichiometric reaction using either anhydrous or aqueous
ammonia for a selective catalytic reduction process is:
4NO + 4NH3+O2→ 4N2+ 6H2O
2NO2+ 4NH3+O2→ 3N2+ 6H2O
NO +NO2+ 2NH3→ 2N2+ 3H2O
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Reactions
• With several secondary reactions:
• 2SO2+O2→2SO3
• 2NH3+SO3+H2O→(NH4)2SO4
• NH3+SO3+H2O→NH4HSO4
The reaction for urea instead of either anhydrous or aqueous
ammonia is:
4NO + 2(NH2)2CO+O2→ 4N2+ 4H2O+ 2CO2
The ideal reaction has an optimal temperature range between
630 and 720K, but can operate from 500 to 720K with longer
residence times.
The minimum effective temperature depends on the various
fuels, gas constituents, and catalyst geometry. 27