Absorption

1
 General Applications
1. Absorbing SO2 from the flue gases by absorption
in alkaline solutions.

2. Hydrogenation of edible oils in food industry

- hydrogen gas is bubbled into oil and
absorbed.

3. Removal of CO2 from synthesis gases by

absorbing it with hot potassium carbonate
solution. (in ammonia production)

4. Absorbing dimethyl sulfide from the food

processing industry
Absorption Theory
 Application of unit operation for
various types of absorption
• The absorber may be avialable in variuos form
which is described following.
1. Packed column
2. Try column
3. Spray column
4. Venturi scrubbers
5. Bubble column
6. Wet scrubbers
7. Stirred tanks
PACKED COLUMN
Packing material (must be inert) is
designed to increase the liquid-film
surface

Many geometric shapes are

available : Raschig ring, pall ring,
berl saddle, tellerete etc.
Packing Material and Shapes
 Mass Balances and the Operating
Line for Packed Towers
Gm molar total gas flow rate
(carrier gas + pollutant)
Lm,2 Gm,2
Ls Gc Gc molar inert carrier gas
x2 y2 flow rate
X2 T = const Y2
Lm molar total solvent flow
P = const
rate (solvent + absorbed
Cross-
pollutant)
sectional
area, A dz Ls molar solvent flow rate

Gm,1 x is the liquid mole fraction

Lm,1
Gc of pollutant, y is the gas
Ls phase mole fraction of the
x1 y1
pollutants, X is the liquid
X1 Y1
phase mole ratio and Y is
the gas phase mole ratio
TRAY COLUMN
 STIRRED TANKS
• If the absorbtion process includes a slow liquid-
phase chemical reaction, or close control of the
process is needed, stirred tanks are used.
• The gas is introduced directly into the liquid and
mixed by the stirred in a stirred tank.
 BUBBLE COLUMN
• Bubble columns can be
used to purify
nitroglycerin with water,
in the chemical industry
for hydrogenation,
oxidation, chlorination,
and alkylation, and in
the biotechnological
field for effluent
treatmet, single-cell
protein productin,
animal cell culture, and
antibiotic fermentation.
SPRAY COLUMN
Spray columns are used to
absorb SO2 from coal-fired
boiler exhaust gases.
Wet Scrubber
Wet scrubbers are used by the food
industry,such as in cheese proessing for
dust and ambient moisture removal.