AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

ATMOSPHERIC CLEANSING
PROCESSES
Natural removal mechanisms in
atmosphere

Mechanism

Details

Dispersion

-done by wind current

-lessens the conc at one place

Gravitational
settling

-removing particulates those >20 micron

Flocculation

-settle out particles <0.1micron

Absorption
(washout or
scavenging)

-particulates and gaseous pollutants are

collected in rain or mist, then settle out
-takes place below cloud level

Rainout

-involving precipitation
-occurs within clouds when submicron part
serve as condensation nuclei

Adsorption

-occurs in friction layer of atm (the closest layer

to earth)
-gas, liq and solid are electrostatically attracted
to a surface
-natural adsorbent soil, rocks,leaves, grass

APPROACHES TO CONTAMINANT
CONTROL
1) Dilution
Accomplished using tall stacks

Penetrate the inversion layer and disperse

the contaminant
Reduce the ground-level conc

Means of spreading air contaminant

Diluting air contaminant to harmful level
and less noticeable near the source
Only short-term control measure

2) Control at source
Long-term control, desirable and
effective
i) Prevent the contaminant from exist
ii)Use alternative power source in case
of contaminants associated with
combustion processess
iii)Altered high contaminant fuels to
desulfured, LNG or LPG

iv. Proper use of existence equipment

competent inspective and
maintenance
v. Changing the process being used
vi. Install control equipment either
destroy, counteract, collect or mask
pollutants

CONTROL DEVICES FOR PARTICULATE

CONTAMINANTS FROM STATIONARY
SOURCES

Can be divided into five

major groups:
Gravitational settling
chambers
Centrifugal collectors
Wet collectors
Electrostatic
precipitators
Fabric filters

SELECTION
1) Depends on particle
characteristics size
distribution, shape,
density, stickiness,
electrical properties
2) Depends on carrier
gas properties flow rate
and particle conc
3) Depends on economic
considerations cost of
installation, operating and
maintenance

1) Gravitational settling chambers

Settling chamber

Baffled chamber

 Provide enlarged areas to minimize

horizontal velocities and allow time for
vertical velocity to carry particle to the
floor
Usual velocity 0.5 to 2.5 m/s (best result
-obtained at uniform flow of <0.3m/s
Calculating minimum diameter of a
particle at 100% efficiency in a chamber
of length L,

 Simple in design and

operation
Remove particle >50 micron
Employ gravity to separate
particles
Require a large space for
installation
Low efficiency for small
particles

Advantages

Disadvantages

2) Centrifugal collectors
Employ centrifugal force which can
be generated
Advantages
Much smaller particles can be
removed compared to gravity
settling chamber

2.1) Cyclones

W=b
Vi = i

h
L3

L1

Length of cylinder, L1 = 2D
Length of cone, L2 = 2D
L2

Diameter of exit, De = D/2

Height of entrance, h = D/2
Width of entrance, b = D/4
Diameter of dust exit, Dd = D/4
Length of exit duct, L3 = D/8

Empirical efficiency for standard

dimension cyclone

 Centrifugal force
generated by spinning of gas
Magnitude depends on particle mass,
gas velocity within cyclone and cyclone
diameter

Solid particles are thrown to the walls

as gas spirals upward
Separation efficiency depends on
centrifugal force exerted on particles

 Large-diameter cyclone remove

particles 40 to 50 micron in diameter
23 cm or less diameter cyclone high
efficiency for particles of 15 to 20 micron
Smaller diameter cyclone
Increase the centrifugal force
Reduce distance of particle travelling
Advantages
before collection
Problems with equalizing gas flow to
each cone
Abrasion of tube high velocity
Disadvantages
Plugging of heavily loaded tubes

Types

Cyclones

Advantages

Have no moving parts

Have low collection efficiency

for respirable particulates
Can be used as precleaners Suffer decreased efficiency if
to remove coarser particulates gas viscosity or gas density
and reduce load on more
increases
efficient dust collectors
Can be designed to remove a Are susceptible to erosion
specific size range of particles

Have drastically reduced

efficiency due to reduction in
airflow rate

Cannot process sticky dust

Multicyclone Have no moving parts

s

Are more efficient than

single-cyclone separators

Have low pressure drop when

used as a precleaner

Disadvantages

Have low collection efficiency

for respirable particulates
Are prone to plugging due to
smaller diameter tubes
Improper gas distribution may
result in dirty gas bypassing
several tubes
Cannot process sticky dust
For a given gas volume, occupy
more space than single-cyclone
separators

2.2) Dynamic precipitators

Centrifugal force
Generated by the action of rotating vanes
Seven times higher than conventional
cyclone

Serve as both exhaust fan and dust

collector
Advantages
Widely used in ceramics, food,
pharmaceutical
Cannot handle wet, fibrous material
Disadvantages
Requires higher power input

3) Wet collectors
Incorporating particles into liquid
droplets by impingement or
interception during gravitational
settling
Efficiency depends on energy
consumed in the air-to-water
Directly proportional contact
to pressure drop

Applying this theory

high efficiency is
expected in venturi-type

Low- remove
medium to coarse
size particles

High remove
fine particles

 Provide efficient, low-cost

solutions to air pollution problems Advantages
Can handle hot and moist gases
High or fluctuating pressure drop
High maintenance cost if
collecting corrosive materials
Not recommended for use where
Disadvantages
high plume rise is important
Disposal problems of the
particulates require other
treatment

3.1) Spray tower

 Low-cost scrubber
Remove both gaseous and
particulate contaminants
Cause little pressure loss
Able to handle large volumes of
gases
Effective in moving particles in
excess of 10 micron

3.2) Wet cyclone scrubber

 High-pressure spray nozzles generate a

fine spray that intercepts the small
particles entrained in the swirling gases
Efficiency
100% - particles of 100 micron
90-98% - particles 5 to 50 micron
Higher compared to spray tower

Particle removal depends on

Liquid flow rate
Liquid droplets and particle size

3.3) Venturi scrubber

 Most efficient in removing

submicron particles of 0.5 to 5
micron (smoke and fumes)
Advantages
Efficient in removing particulate
and gaseous contaminant
High power cost high inlet gas
Disadvantage
velocity
Removal efficiency depends on
particle size and head loss

4) Fabric filters (baghouse filters)

 Gas stream with particulate

contaminant passes through a woven or
felted fabric
Ways of how small particles are retained
Direct interception
Inertial impaction
Diffusion
Electrostatic attraction
Gravitational settling

 Filter bags used

Tubular or envelope-shaped
Capable of retaining particles < 0.5 micron
(+ substantial quantities of < 0.1 micron)
Ranging from 1.8 to 9 m long
Upper ends are closed and lower ends are
attached to inlet manifold
After the pressure drop increase, can be
cleaned intermittently, periodically or
continuously
Unit must be shut down
seldom used
Portions are cleaned while
the rest in operation

Using mechanical shaker,

reverse-air flow, pulse jets

 Disadvantages
Possibility of explosion or fire if sparks
are discharged in baghouse where
organic dust are being filtered
Space limitation for heavy loads
Possibility of rupture
if temperature too high for the fabric medium
because of moisture, acidity or alkalinity
content of the particulate

 The design based on filtering

rates/air-to-cloth ratios
Filtering rates range from 0.5 to 5
m/min depends on dust loading,
fabric material and method of
cleaning
Advantages
High collection efficiency over a broad
range of particle size
Extreme flexibility in design

 Advantages (continue)
Able to handle large volumes of gases at
relatively high speed, reasonable
operating pressure drop and power
requirement
Ability to handle a diversity of solid
materials
Application in high-volume operation such
as cement kiln, foundries, steel furnaces
and grain-handling plants

5) Electrostatic precipitators (ESP)

 Can be classified as low-voltage twostage or high-voltage single-stage

units
Low-voltage unit
Operate at 6000 to 12 000 V
Employed mainly in conjunction with airconditioning systems for hospitals and
commercial installation
Used mainly to collect liquid particles
Not recommended for control of solid or
sticky material

 Its precipitators have a separate ionizing zone

located ahead of the collection plates
Have design capacities approaching 10m 3/s
with air velocity of 0.5 m/s

High-voltage
Operate at 30 000 to 100 000 V range
Used at large industrial plant such as coalfired utility boilers
Require 4 basic steps in in the operation
Electrical charging of the particulates
Collection of charged particles on a grounded
surface
Neutralization of the charge at the collector
Removal of the particulate for disposal

 Advantages
Have wide application
=>99% removal efficiency for a wide range
of particle sizes
Can handle large volumes of gas 25 to
1000 m3/s
Low pressure drops
Can operate continuously with little
maintenance
Can be used to collect acid or tar mists

 Disadvantages
Cannot be used with explosive materials
Initial installation cost is high
Require a great deal of space for
industrial operation
Only operate at peak efficiency within a
limited temperature range
May use excessive power if buildup of
collected material causes spark over
Inefficient if buildup suppresses the
corona discharge from negative
electrode

CONTROL DEVICES FOR GASEOUS

CONTAMINANTS FROM STATIONARY SOURCE

Gas of concern in air pollution control

SOx, CO, NOx, organic and
inorganic acid gases & HC
Major treatment processes
Adsorption
Absorption
Condensation
Combustion

1) Adsorption
Passing a stream of effluent gas through
a porous solid material (adsorbent)
Adsorption of adsorbate on adsorbent
can be either by physical or chemical
Physical adsorption
Condensation of gases and vapors on solid
above dew point
Depends upon van der Waals force
The higher the boiling point, the greater the
amount adsorbed

 Directly proportional to the amount of

solid surface available
Accompanied by capillary condensation
within the pores
Small amount of heat is liberated
Process relatively rapid and readily
reversible
Lowering pressure/increasing temperature
adsorbed gas can be desorbed

 Chemical adsorption/chemisorption
Gas molecule forms a chemical bond
with the adsorbent
Gas is strongly held to the solid surface
by valence forces
A slower process since displacement of
atoms must occur in molecules
Liberates greater amount of heat and
require more energy

 Results in formation of single layer of

molecules on solid surface
Process is irreversible chemical nature
of adsorbate have been altered
Amount of gas adsorbed depends on
pressure and temperature

1.1) Adsorbents
Key characteristics of solid adsorbents
preferential affinity for specific substances
Alumina, bauxite, silica gel affinity for polar such
as water
Activated charcoal nonpolar organic compounds
Molecular sieve (tailor-made) SO2

Surface-to-volume ratios
Provided by internal pores
Can be increased by activating some adsorbent
Activated carbon treating with steam
Activated alumina reactivated by heating to 175 to
325oC

Quiz 2
1) List 2 advantages of applying
centrifugal collectors in air pollution
control
2) List 2 disadvantages of dynamic
precipitators
3) 3 types of wet collectors used for
control of particulate

1.2) Adsorption equipment

Can be designed with fixed, moving
or fluidized beds
Fixed bed
Vertical or horizontal cylindrical shell
Adsorbent used is activated carbon in
layers of 1.3 cm thick (thin) or >1.3 cm
(deep)

 Gambar fixed bed

 Moving bed
Adsorbent is contained in a rotating
drum

 Fluidized adsorbent
Contains a shallow, floating bed of
adsorbent

 Highly efficient until a

breakpoint saturated
adsorbents
2 types of adsorbers
Regenerative
Depends on gas
properties easily
desorbed or not

If depends on physical adsorption, can

be accomplishe using superheated
steam or circulating hot air
Cool the bed before reuse
Other ways burning, pressure
reduction and chemical treatment

Nonregenerative - costly

 Application
Adsorb organic vapors from dry
cleaning, degreasing, solvent extracting

Recovery economically feasible

when concentrations of organic
vapors is high

2) Absorption
Contaminated effluent gas (absorbate
or solute) is brought into contact with
liquid absorbent (solvent)
Utilize chemical (reactive) or physical
(nonreactive) change to remove
pollutants
Reactive absorbent - water and
limestone
Nonreactive water

 Amount of gas absorbed depends on

properties of gas and solvent
Pressure of gas above the solution
Temperature of the system
Packing used turbulence, flow rate and
type

Application
Control of SO2, H2S, Cl2
Remove of HC

2.1) Absorbent (solvent)

Good solubility of solvent if
Chemically similar to the solute
Low viscosity
Have low freezing point
Low in toxicity
Relatively nonvolatile
Nonflammable
Chemically stable

 Application in SO2 absorption process

Alkalies (sodium and ammonia)
Sodium not volatile and have no fume
problem
Ammonia by product (ammonium sulfate)
is more desirable

Alkaline earths (calcium and

magnesium)
Compound being used MgO, CaO, CaCO3

2.2) Absorption units

Designed to provide
intimate contact between gas and liq
Optimum diffusion of the gas in solution

Selection depends on number of

scrubbers to be used
Single - removes both particulate and
gaseous
Two separate

2.2.1) Spray towers

 Can handle large volumes of gas

Little pressure drop
High efficiency of removal low
conc of gaseous contaminant
Applicable for dual removal
Chance of absorption depends
on droplet size and turbulence
Inexpensive to install and
operate

Advantages

Disadvantages

Have less gas-liquid interfacial area

Less effective in removing gaseous
contaminant

2.2.2) Plate or tray towers

 Plate or tray towers

Contain horizontal trays or plates
Provide large liquid-gas
interfacial areas
Usually spaced 0.3 to 0.9 m
apart

Bubble-cap tray
Contain cap at which gas are diverted
downward and discharged as small bubbles
from slots

2.2.3) Packed towers

 Packing is used to increase the contact

time between vapor and liquid
Materials of packing
Has large surface-to-volume ratio
Has large void ratio to minimize the
resistance of gas flow
Lightweight and unbreakable

Countercurrent flow gas from bottom,

liquid from top
Highly efficient for gaseous removal
Disadvantage easily clogged if gas of
high particulate is introduced

2.2.4) Venturi scrubber

 Cocurrent unit gas/particulate and

absorption solution
Are brought into contact in or near the
venturi throat
Moved together into an entrainment
separator
Separated by centrifugal force of the
liquid droplets

3) Condensation
2 basic types of condensation
surface and contact condensers
Vapor and cooling medium are
brought into direct contact
Less expensive and more
flexible
More efficient in removing
organic compounds
Disadvantage create water
pollution problem

Key role is physical

adsorption
Cooling medium air or
water
Vapor and cooling
medium is separated by a
metal wall

 Gambar surface and contact

condenser

 Application depends upon

Amount and type of coolant used
Waste liquid disposal problems that will
result
Amount of compound to be recovered

Used in conjunction with

afterburners, absorbers or adsorption
unit

4) Combustion
Basic for important air-pollution control
process
Convert the air contaminants to
innocuous CO2 and water
4 basic elements for efficient
combustionDetermine
to occur
the end
Must be keep at
product obtained

Oxygen
Temperature
Turbulence
For sufficient
time

burning
Done by increasing
stack height

ignition tem
Keep O2 well mixed with
the combustible subs
Provided by baffles or
injection nozzles

4.1) Direct-flame combustion

Waste gases are burned directly in a
combustor
Burn by own if sufficient heat value
and O2 content
Frequently used in petrochemical plants
and refineries
Flares
is usually open-ended combustion units
Safe means of disposing highly combustible
waste gases (not ideal)

 Disadvantages of flares
Burn at high temp and long periods
cause formation of oxides of nitrogen
Produce visible smoke or soot
Waste large amount of heat energy

Economical when the waste gas

contribute >50% of the total heating
value for incineration

4.2) Thermal combustion

Applied when combustible gaseous
pollutant is too low
The waste gas is preheated using
heat exchanger by utilizing the heat
produced by thermal incinerator
Temp of operation depends on nature
of the waste gas

 Advantages
Well-designed unit can produce odorless
steam plumes
Clean stream of hot air produced can be
used as a heat source for other
operation

4.3) Catalytic combustion

Used when combustible materials is low
Consist of preheating and catalytic
section
Efficiency depends on
Contaminant concentration
Temperature of gas stream
O2 concentration
Contact time
Type of catalyst

4.4) Automotive emission control

Indirect control
Abolition of the internal combustion engine
Use of electric-powered vehicles
Increased the utilization of mass transit

Sources of emissions from gasolinepowered vehicle

20% from crankcase
15% from fuel tank and carburetor
65% from tail pipe