Scrubbers are filtration systems, also known as scrubbing towers to eliminate volatile organic compounds, what are they and how do they work? In this article we will provide a basic information to better understand the mechanisms that allow for VOC abatement and air purification.
A scrubber tower is used to abate and eliminate dust and pollutants present in an air stream. These systems are usually inserted in a specific context that aims to filter and purify the air from fumes, vapors and dusts of different origin. The use of these specific filtering systems is a mandatory requirement, above all to eliminate any possible residual pollutant and have a healthy and safe environment.
The abatement of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) and dust concentration present in a gaseous stream is what scrubbers are able to do. These are used when there is the presence of substances to be removed capable of reacting in the presence of water because in fact the abatement occurs through the impact between the washing liquid sprayed and pollutant.
The scrubbing towers are in fact composed of a cylindrical body inside which the process of purification and neutralization of harmful substances takes place, provided that these are of organic or inorganic chemical nature soluble in water.
The fumes to be treated get into the washing tower, or scrubbing column, through an access placed in the lower part of the tower. As it rises, the fumes are constantly sprayed with a nebulized washing liquid taken from the containment tank by a recirculation pump. At the end of the treatment a separator will capture the drops that have trapped the pollutants, while the purified fumes will be released into the environment by exiting through a special opening located in the upper part of the plant.
All the wet abatement systems can be composed of multiple stages of washing, even with different types of operation, depending on the pollutants to be treated.
What are the results obtained following the use of these air filtration systems? The pollutants, i.e. volatile organic compounds, will be abated, ensuring an enormous advantage for the environment, which will be cleaner and healthier both for the operators and for the installations present.