CHAPTER 5
Absorption and Stripping
Introduction to Absorption and Stripping Process
In addition to the distillation, there are other unit operations used for separating
substances
Absorption and stripping are separation processes that involve contacting a gas
mixture with a liquid to selectively dissolve one or more components.
Absorption: is the process by which one substance, the absorbate, is dissolved
or taken up by another substance, the absorbent.
Stripping: A physical process that removes one or more components from a
liquid using a vapor stream.
Absorption and stripping are common commercial processes with well-
developed design procedures.
They are often used to treat gaseous effluents from chemical reactors to meet
environmental standards.
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Absorption is the unit operation in which one or more components of a gas
stream are removed from the gas mixture by being absorbed onto a non-
volatile liquid (called a “solvent”).
In this case, the solvent is the separating agent
Stripping is the operation that is in the opposite direction to the absorption,
in which one or more gaseous components in a liquid stream is removed
from the gas-liquid solution by being vaporized into an insoluble gas
stream.
In the stripping operation, the insoluble gas stream is the
separating agent
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Types of absorption
There are two main types of absorption:
Physical absorption: the component being absorbed is more soluble in the
liquid than other gases.
The solute is dissolved into the solvent because it has higher solubility
in the solvent than other gases
This process uses water or hydrocarbon oils as absorbents, and no
significant chemical reactions occur.
Chemical absorption: a chemical reaction occurs between the gas being
absorbed and a component in the liquid.
The solute reacts with the solvent, and the resulting product still
remains in the solvent.
This process uses a reagent such as aqueous sodium hydroxide,
monoethanolamine (MEA), or diethanolamine (DEA).
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Similar to distillation, both absorption and stripping are operated as equilibrium
stage operations, in which liquid and vapour are in contact with each other.
However, in both absorption and stripping operations, the columns are simpler
than the distillation column; normally, they do not need condensers and re-boilers
as per the distillation.
The mixture of the gases (i.e. the gas to be treated), from which one component
(e.g., CO2 or H2S) in the gas mixture needs to be removed, is passed through an
absorber, in which a liquid-phase solvent (e.g., amine solvent in water) is passed
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though, to absorb that gaseous component
Absorption and stripping are usually conducted in packed columns or in
trayed towers.
Packed columns are preferred when
1) The required column diameter is not bigger;
2) The pressure drop must be low, as for a vacuum service;
3) Corrosion considerations favor the use of ceramic or polymeric
materials; and/or
4) Low liquid holdup is desirable.
Trayed towers are preferred when
1. Frequent cleaning is required
2. If the required diameter is very high.
If there is no overriding consideration, cost is the major factor to be
taken into account when choosing between packed columns and trayed
towers for absorption or stripping. 8
Mechanism of absorption
Absorption is a process that occurs when atoms, molecules, or ions from one
substance (the absorbate) dissolve into another substance (the absorbent):
The mechanism of absorption will be:
Diffusion: the particles in the absorbate diffuse or dissolve into the
absorbent.
Solution formation: the particles form a solution with the absorbent.
The ratio of absorption is affected by several factors, including: the concentration
of the absorbate, the exposed surface area, and the pressure.
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Equilibrium in absorption
In absorption, equilibrium is a state where the concentration of a solute in the
gas phase is in balance with its concentration in the liquid phase.
The equilibrium line on a y-x diagram shows this relationship, where the y-axis
represents the solute concentration in the gas phase and the x-axis represents the
solute concentration in the liquid phase.
The slope of the equilibrium line is the Henry's law constant.
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Molar ratio is the ratio of the number of moles of one substance to the number of
moles of another substance in a chemical reaction.
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Multistage absorption
Multistage absorption is a chemical engineering process that separates a gas
mixture by passing it through a series of stages while the liquid solvent flows in
the opposite direction.
It is a chemical engineering process that separates a gas mixture by absorbing one
or more gas components into a liquid solvent.
In this process, the gas mixture moves
upward through a series of stages or trays,
while the liquid solvent moves downward.
This countercurrent flow allows for efficient
mass transfer and separation of the desired
components.
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Here are some other details about multistage absorption:
Absorber tower; the feed gas enters the bottom of the contactor and flows
upward, while the lean solvent enters the top and flows downward.
Performance assessment; the performance potential of multistage
absorption cycles can be evaluated.
Solvent selection: when selecting a solvent, you should consider factors like
gas solubility, volatility, cost, and viscosity.
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Gas absorption equipment
Gas absorption equipment is used to increase the surface area between a gas and a
liquid to facilitate the absorption process.
Gas absorption is mainly carried out in a gas absorption heat pump.
The machine is made of columns to help in the absorption process which could be,
tray-columns, spray, bubble columns or packed columns.
Packed towers; these columns are filled with packing materials like Raschig rings,
Berl saddles, or spiral rings.
The packing provides a large surface area for the liquid and gas to come into contact
with each other.
Liquid sprays and gas-bubbling devices; these are often used to achieve the
desired interfacial area between the liquid and gas.
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Vertical trays; these trays are arranged so that the liquid descends over them or
flows down a packing tower.
Other factors that can affect the gas absorption process include:
Solvent: the type of solvent used can affect the gas absorption process.
Temperature: lower temperatures favor absorption of gases by the
solvent. However, gas diffusion in the liquid and chemical kinetics are faster at
higher temperatures.
Contact surface: a larger contact surface enhances absorption.
Liquid-gas ratio: a higher liquid-gas ratio enhances absorption.
Gas concentration: higher concentrations in the gas flow enhance absorption.
Chemical reaction: the degree of the chemical reaction is a factor that governs
the absorption rate.
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