10/1/2023

Environmental Pollution Control

ETZC362/PEZC411
Prof. Krishna C. Etika
Associate Professor
BITS Pilani Department of Chemical Engineering
Pilani Campus B.I.T.S-Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

METHODS

1 October 2023 2
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

1
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption
The effectiveness of an absorption process for air pollution
control mostly depends on the selection of a suitable
scrubbing medium
Important properties of solvents for industrial applications
are:
 High gas solubility and high selectivity between solute
species
 Low vapour pressure
 Non-corrosiveness
 Easy regeneration and recovery
 Low costs
 Low viscosity at absorption temperature
 Nontoxicity
 Nonflammability
 Chemical stability

1 October 2023 3
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption
Gas Absorption Equipment
Gas absorption is commonly conducted in equipment which are
designed to provide intimate contact between the two phases
Commonly used absorbers
 Packed towers
 Plate and spray towers
 Venturi scrubbers

In air pollution control, the most popular means of gas cleaning

is the packed tower; however, tray columns, spray and
venturi scrubbers are used in nearly 10% of the cases.

1 October 2023 4
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

PACKED BEDS AND PLATE

COLUMNS

1 October 2023 5
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Types of Packings

Metal pall ring Plastic Super Intalox Saddle Raschig Rings

Lessing Ring Partition Ring

Berl Saddle
1 October 2023 6
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

3
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Types of Tray

Sieve Tray
Bubble Cap

1 October 2023 Valve Tray 7

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption
Two Film Theory: The rate of mass transfer of solute NA per unit interfacial
area from the gas phase and across the interface must equal to that in the
liquid phase, i. e.,
N A  kG ( pG  pi )  k L (ci  cL )

It is impossible to know the A

pG C
interface partial pressures
and concentrations  the rate
equations are normally Equilibrium
expressed in terms of overall pi B curve
coefficient (i.e., KG &KL) D
based on an overall driving p*
force between the bulk
compositions, pG and cL.
These are defined by
cL ci c*
N A  K G ( pG  p  )  K L (c   cL ) The driving force in gas absorption
1 October 2023 8
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

4
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption
Above equations in terms of mole fractions
N A  kG ( yG  yi )  k L ( xi  xL )
N A  K G ( yG  y  )  K L ( x   x L )
And equilibrium relationship in terms of mole fractions yi  mxi
Where, m = H’/P, and P = total pressure
Relation between overall mass transfer coefficient and individual mass transfer
coefficient

1 1 m
 
K y ky kx

1 October 2023 9
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
Consider a steady-state operation involving a countercurrent absorber
as shown in figure

Three variables of interest in the design Ls Gs

of a packed tower are: G2 G2
1. gas flow rate, x2 y2
X2 Y2 L = Total liquid flow rate/area
2. liquid flow rate
G = Total gas flow rate/area
3. height of tower. Plane2
y = mole fraction of solute
in GAS phase
For height dZ, the total interfacial dz x = mole fraction of solute
area open to mass transfer is: in LIQUID phase
Y = mole ratio of solute in
z GAS phase
a*V = a*(AdZ)
Plane1 X= mole ratio of solute in
Ls Gs LIQUID phase
a= interfacial area/ tower volume
A = Tower cross-sectional area L1 G1
X1 y1
X1 Y1
1 October 2023 10
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

5
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
A solute material balance gives G1 y1  L2 x 2  G 2 y 2  L1 x1
Since G and L vary along the height of the tower, it is much simpler to express
material balance equations in terms of solute-free concentration units. Then
material balance equation becomes
Gs (Y1  Y2 )  Ls ( X 1  X 2 )
Where, Gs= molal flow rate of non-diffusing material (i.e., solvent) in gas phase/cross
sectional area of tower, Ls = molal flow rate of non diffusing material (i.e., solvent) in
liquid phase/cross sectional area of tower,
The equation for the operating line with slope

Ls Y  Y2
 1
Gs X 1  X 2
In general form, the operating line equation may be represented as
L 
Y  Y1   s ( X 1  X )
1 October 2023
 Gs  11
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
X1, Y1
Operating line

Ls
slope 
Gs Equilibrium Curve
Y
Yi  f ( X i )

X2, Y2

X
Equilibrium and operating lines in a countercurrent tower
A solute material balance over the differential length dz

L 
d (Y )  d {Y1   s ( X 1  X )}  GsdY  LsdX
 Gs  12
1 October 2023
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

6
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
Now, for a differential section of the tower with height dz and
interfacial are dA, the rate of absorption is
Ls Gs
G2 G2
x2 y2
N A dA  K y ( y  y  )dA X2 Y2
Plane2
But , dA  aAdz
 N A adz  K y a ( y  y  )dz dz

z
For height dZ, the total interfacial area open to mass
transfer is: Plane1
Ls Gs
L1 G1
a*V = a*(AdZ)
X1 y1
X1 Y1
a= interfacial area/ tower volume, A = Tower cross-
sectional area
1 October 2023
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
 G s dY  K y a ( y  y * )dz
 y  dy
G s dY  G (1  y)d   G
 1  y  1 y
dy
G  K y a ( y  y * )dz
1 y

Multiplying and dividing the right hand side of above equation by

(1-y)lm and assuming that the product of this and Kya is a constant, we
can integrate for the height of the tower Z
y1
G (1  y ) lm dy
Z
K y a (1  y )lm  (1  y)( y  y )
y2
*

1 October 2023 14
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

7
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration

HOG = Height of Overall Transfer Unit based on gas side

y1
G (1  y )lm dy
Z
K y a (1  y ) lm  (1  y)( y  y )  H
y2
* OG N OG

NOG = # of Overall Transfer Unit required to achieve separation from

y1y2

1 October 2023 15
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
If the two contacting systems are relatively dilute, and both the
operating and equilibrium lines are straight over the tower
height, then it can be shown that

y1  y 2
N OG 
[ y  y * ]lm
Where ,
[ y  y * ]1  [ y  y * ] 2
[ y  y * ]lm 
[ y  y * ]1
ln
[ y  y * ]2

1 October 2023 16
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

8
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Absorption- Basic Design

Consideration
HOG may be estimated from individual phase transfer unit heights according to the relation

 mG 
H OG  H G   H L
 L 
 (G ' ) 
HG  ScG
( L' ) 
The heights of gas and liquid transfer units have been correlated 
 L' 
H L     Sc L
 L 
Where, HG and HL are in meters, G’ and L’ are in kg/m2-sec, μL is in kg/m-sec and the gas
and liquid Schmidt numbers are

ScG  
G   L 
  G DG  and Sc L    L DL 
DG and DL are the gas and liquid diffusivities respectively of the solute absorbed
1 October 2023 17
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Problem (Homework)

Determine the height of a packed tower that is used to

reduce the conc. of H2S in air from 0.1 kg/m3 to 0.005
kg/m3 given the following data:
Incoming liquid is water free of H2S
Operating temperature – 250C
Operating pressure 101.325 kPa
Henry’s law constant = 5.522
HG = 0.444m; HL = 0.325m
Liquid flow rate = 20 kg/s
Gas flow rate = 5 kg/s

1 October 2023 18
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

9
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Solution

1 October 2023 19
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption
Adsorption is a surface phenomenon by which gas or liquid molecules
are captured by and adhere to the surface of a solid adsorbent
Physical Adsorption
 The gaseous material condenses upon the surface of the solid,
accompanied by an evolution of heat
 The adsorbed material can be removed or desorbed by reducing
the pressure or by increasing the temperature. Thus, the process is
reversible
Chemisorption
 Chemical interaction between the solid and the adsorbed material
 It is irreversible process
 Heat of adsorption being much higher than that for physical
adsorption
 The molecules are held to the solid surface by chemical bonds and
the original material undergoes a chemical change

1 October 2023 20
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

10
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption
Adsorption techniques are widely used in the field of:
 Odor control for removing small quantities of pollutants
present in a large volume of air
 For collecting valuable organic substances that cannot be
picked up by scrubbing methods
Adsorption rate depends on several factors:
 Concentration of the material around the adsorbent
 Surface area of the adsorbent
 Pore volume of the adsorbent
 Temperature, molecular polarity and the chemical nature of
the adsorbent surface

1 October 2023 21
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Desirable characteristics of
adsorbents
Desirable Qualities of Adsorbents: High adsorptive ability ,
Large surface per unit mass, Must not offer high
pressure drop, Adequate strength and hardness and
Free flowing.

Manchisi, James & Matinde, Elias & Rowson, Neil & Simmons, Mark & Simate, Geoffrey S. & Ndlovu, Sehliselo & Mwewa, Brian. (2020). Ironmaking and Steelmaking Slags as Sustainable
Adsorbents for Industrial Effluents and Wastewater Treatment: A Critical Review of Properties, Performance, Challenges and Opportunities. Sustainability. 12. 2118. 10.3390/su12052118.
1 October 2023 22
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

11
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption
Mechanism - Adsorption
 The diffusion of the pollutant from the bulk gas phase to the
external surface of solid
 The diffusion of the gas molecules into the pores of the solids
 And finally is the actual adsorption on the active sites in the pores
Removal of pollutants by adsorption may be carried out in a batchwise
or continuous manner of operation
Adsorption Isotherm
 Relation between amount of pollutant adsorbed and the
equilibrium pressure at constant temperature
*
aC g
W *
1  bC g

1 October 2023 23
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption Isotherm

1 October 2023 24
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

12
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption Mechanism
Clean
Effluent
 The diffusion of the pollutant from
the bulk gas phase to the external
surface of solid
 The diffusion of the gas
molecules into the pores of the
solids
 And finally is the actual
adsorption on the active sites in
the pores
Dirty
Effluent

1 October 2023 25
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption in Fixed Bed

LUB
Length of
Unused Bed

𝒕 = 𝒕𝟏 𝒕 = 𝒕𝟐 𝒕 = 𝒕𝟑

MTZ
Mass Transfer Zone
1 October 2023 26
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

13
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Fixed Bed Adsorption Process

1 October 2023 27
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Ideal and Actual Outlet Concentration Curves

Outlet Concentration

Time (h)

1 October 2023 28
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

14
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Mathematical Analysis of
Fixed Bed Adsorption

1. The velocity with which the

adsorption wave moves
through the bed, u is given
by

0.5
cout/
2. Length of Mass Transfer 𝑐
Zone

3. Length of Unused Bed 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 𝑡∗

(LUB)

1 October 2023 29
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

Adsorption

Breakthrough Time (tB)

a,b = Langmuir coefficients

Cg* = Equilibrium concentration of pollutant g/m3
Qg = Volumetric flow rate of gas
1 October 2023 30
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

15
 10/1/2023

ETZC362/PEZC411 Environmental Pollution Control

9-43

Determine the breakthrough time for toluene on an

adsorption bed of activated carbon that is 0.75 m thick and
5 m2 in cross section. The operating parameters for the bed
are as follows:
Gas flow rate = 1.185 kg/s
Gas temperature = 250C
Bed density = 450 kg/m3
Inlet pollutant concentration = 0.00350 kg/m3
Langmuir parameters: a = 465, b = 3000
Width of adsorption zone = 0.045m

1 October 2023 31
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

16