Gas absorption/desorption is a process in which a gaseous mixture is brought into contact with

a liquid and during this contact a component is transferred between the gas stream and the
liquid stream. The gas may be bubbled through the liquid, or it may pass over streams of the
liquid, arranged to provide a large surface through which the mass transfer can occur. The liquid
film in this latter case can flow down the sides of columns or over packing, or it can cascade
from one tray to another with the liquid falling and the gas rising in the counter flow.
The gas, or components of it, either dissolves in the liquid (absorption) or extracts a volatile
component from the liquid (desorption).