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Home PSU-UNS International Conference on Engineering and
Environment - ICEE-2005, Novi Sad 19-21 May, 2005
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences
Trg D. Obradovića 6, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro

TREATMENT OF TOLUENE USING WET SCRUBBER WITH

SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE OXIDATION REACTION

Juntima Chungsiriporn*, Charun Bunyakan, Romporn Nikom

Prince of Songkla University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Hat-Yai, Songkhla 90112 THAILAND. E-mail : [email protected]

Abstract: Toluene, a high volatility organic solvent, is oxidation reaction remove air pollutants by impaction,
generated from painting, coating, and printing reaction with a sorbent or reagent, or diffusion into the
industries. The toluene emitted results in air emissions interior liquid. The oxidizing chemicals, such as
that can cause air pollution, flammability problem and potassium permanganate (KMnO4), chlorine (Cl2) and
effect on human health. Toluene removal by oxidation sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) are normally utilized to
with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) were studied in spray treat VOCs in wet scrubbers. Sodium hypochlorite one of
wet scrubber. The removal efficiency was studied for the the most strongly oxidative and fast-acting disinfectants
influence of scrubbing variables such as toluene against [4] is suitable for toluene treatment [5]. Yielding
concentration, air flow rate and NaOCl solution flow of the oxidation reaction are oxidation products (salt) and
rate, NaOCl concentration, and oxidant drop size. The chloride ions.
study reveals that the wet scrubber with oxidation Toluene, a high volatility organic solvent, is
reaction is necessary for high toluene removal efficiency. generated from painting, coating, and printing industries
The increase of NaClO solution concentration and flow [7]. The toluene emitted results in air emissions that can
rate, and toluene concentration with the decrease of air cause air pollution, flammability problem and effect on
flow rate and drop size in the spray scrubber operation human health. Toluene treatment using spray scrubber
can increase the toluene removal efficiency. The with NaOCl oxidation was studied in this work.
optimum concentration of NaOCl was derived to suggest Knowledge of the kinetics of toluene oxidation reaction
for the useless of NaOCl excess and unnecessary cost. in batch kinetic analysis [5] and the design of experiment
The highest of the toluene treatment in this study is 85%. were used. Response surface methodology (RSM) a
mathematical and statistical technique is an attractive
Key Words: VOCs /Toluene /Sodium hypochlorite /
tool to determine the optimal values of variables without
Wet scrubber
the necessity of testing all possible combinations [6]. An
important aspect of RSM is the design of experiment
1. INTRODUCTION (DOE) to select for the points where the response should
be evaluated and to develop for model fitting. Central
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the primary
composite designs (CCD) containing fractional factorial
air pollution emitted from many kinds of industry. In
design with center and axial points are efficiently DOE
order to limit VOCs emission, two possible actions of
for the construction of the quadratic model.
VOCs destruction and VOCs recovery are foreseen
The aim of this work is to determine the effect of
today. Treatment of the air emission by destruction can
scurbbing parameters on the toluene treatment by sodium
be done through many kinds of technologies such as
hypochlorite (NaOCl) in the spray scrubber. The result
oxidation and biological treatment [1]. Wet scrubber
obtained from this work can be used as guidance for
VOCs recovery add-on control device, is normally used
improvement efficiency of toluene treatment using spray
to remove particulate matter and soluble gases from gas
scrubber with oxidation.
stream by counter current flow of waste air and solution
[2]. Absorption occurs in the wet scrubber by contacting 2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
the contaminated air with a liquid solvent. The air stream
is scrubbed by transferring of soluble VOCs to the liquid Experimental for this study can be separated to two
phase. Many kinds of wet scrubber, for example, venture parts of experimental design and experimental set up as
scrubber, pecked-bed wet scrubber, spray scrubber have the following detail:
been used for VOCs removal in rendering industry. For 2.1 Experimental Design
poorly, water soluble VOCs, mass transfer from the gas
phase must be coupled with rapid reaction in the liquid RSM was used as a tool for design of experiment.
phase for high removal efficiencies in wet scrubbers [3]. In this work, the 4 interesting parameters consisting of
Then adding a strong oxidizing reagent in the scrubbing toluene concentration, air flow rate and NaOCl solution
liquid to act as both conveyors and oxidation performs flow rate, and NaOCl concentration were designed as
the treatment for this kind of VOCs. Wet scrubbers with shown in table 1. Essential regression statistical package

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in Microsoft Excel was used as a tool to design for scrubbing chamber by recirculation system that consists
experimental run using CCD method. The coded form of of circulating pump, rotameter for flow measurement,
+1 and -1 resulting of design condition for each and agitated storage tank. The NaOCl solution flow rate
parameter was transformed to the parameter of was adjusted to the predetermined flow rate. The toluene
experiment. Totally 26 experimental runs were designed. generator was designed to create air emission stream
The percentage of decreasing in toluene concentration in using compressed air to carry out the toluene from
outlet air comparing to inlet air reflects the efficiency of storage tank. The toluene feed was adjusted to the
the toluene removal by wet scrubber performance. After predetermined toluene concentration and kept the
completed of all experiment as designed, nozzle was constant controlled condition throughout the test. The
changed (from 1 mm to 0.5 mm) to investigate the effect emission air flow rate was measured using digital flow
of spraying drop size in treatment capability. meter and controlled by the opening of blower.
The inlet air emission stream is passed to contact
Table 1. Interested range of experimental parameter with NaOCl solution in the spray chamber. The oxidation
Toluene Air flow NaOCl NaOCl reaction of toluene and oxidizing reagent occur with the
concentration rate solution concentration removing of toluene from the air stream. The operating
(ppm) (m3/h) flow rate (mol/l) time of each designed condition was 6 hrs and the gas
(m3/h) samples of both entry and outlet points were taken every
150-1500 100-300 0.5-0.8 0-0.03 1 hr to measure the toluene concentration and calculate
for the toluene removal efficiency. Interested parameters
were controlled according to the design of experiment.
2.2 Experimental set up and procedure Results of the experiments are used to describe the effect
Spray scrubber, a type of wet scrubber, was of all parameters in the removal efficiency.
designed and constructed to study for the efficiency of 3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
toluene removal using NaOCl as oxidizing reagent.
Schematic diagram of wet scrubber for toluene removal Experiments of toluene removal in spray scrubber
is shown in Fig.1 were carried out coincide with the oxidation reaction
using NaOCl oxidative reagent. The experiments
M oisture Clean performed with this system to study the effect of
collector air concentration of toluene and NaOCl, flow rate of air and
NaOCl solution, and drop size. The tests were run
according to design of experiment as previously set. The
effect of drop size was extensively designed for a later
set of experiment. The toluene concentrations in inlet and
Rotameter outlet air were measured and calculated for toluene
A ir removal efficiency using Eq.2. As the samples were
taken every 1 hr for totally operating time of 6 hrs, the
Spray Chamber results were averaged and reported.

inlet conc. − outlet conc. (2)

% eff. = × 100
VOC inlet conc.
Compressed
tank
A ir
The effects of all parameters on the toluene removal
efficiency were studied as detailed below:
Circulating 3.1 Effect of air flow rate
Oxidant pump
solution tank The effect of air feed flow rate on toluene removal
efficiency was tested and the results are presented in
Fig.2. This curve clearly show that the removal
efficiency is decreased when the air feed rate is increased
Fig.1 Schematic diagram of wet scrubber for treating from 100 to 250 m3/h. Air flow rate actually relates to
toluene in waste air retention time that is the time of toluene presents in the
spray chamber as explained in Eq.3.
The spray scrubber was equipped with air blower, V
VOCs generator, spray chamber, moisture collector, and Rt = (3)
NaOCl solution recirculation system. Spray chamber Q
consists of empty cylindrical chambers in which the gas where Rt is retention time (hrs.), V is chamber volume
stream is countercurrent contacted with liquid droplets
generated by spray nozzles. The samples of air stream (m3) and Q is feed flow rate (m3/h).
were collected from the inlet and outlet point of the spray Volume of the scrubbing chamber is 0.4 m3 then the
chamber to measure the toluene concentration. NaOCl calculated retention time for this experiment is in the
aqueous solution was initially prepared as designed range of 1.3 - 4 sec. As volume of the chamber in this
concentration and periodically added up to control at experiment is constant, the increasing in air flow rate
constant figure. The NaOCl solution is introduced to the results the lower retention time. Retention time play an

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important role in impaction and absorption time between 3.3 Effect of NaOCl solution flow rate
gas stream and NaOCl solution, which is reflected by the
The set of experiments was performed to study the
toluene removing efficiency. For the requirement of
effect of NaOCl solution flow rate on toluene removal
toluene removal at a high flow rate the higher volume of
efficiency by oxidation reaction. The results are shown in
spray chamber should be designed.
Fig.4. The curve indicates that the NaOCl solution flow
65 rate has significant enhanced the toluene removal
% Tolu ene rem oval

efficiency over the investigated flow rate range. It is

60 because a higher in solution feed flow rate can increase
the number of NaOCl solution droplets. If a drop of
55
NaOCl solution is considered as one of oxidation reactor,
50 the higher number of reactor should remove more
toluene from the air stream.
45
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 80

% Toluene removal
3
Air flow rate (m /h) 70

Fig.2. Effect of air feed flow rate on toluene removal in 60

wet scrubber using NaOCl oxidative reagent.
50
3.2 Effect of toluene concentration
40
The effect of toluene concentration on toluene
removal efficiency was tested and the results are 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
presented in Fig.3. It is evident that the trend could be 3
Flow oxidant (m /h)
separately considered to 2 regions. The first one is lower
toluene concentration (150 – 750 ppm). In this Fig.4. Effect of NaOCl solution flow rate on toluene
concentration range the toluene removal efficiency is low treatment in wet scrubber using NaOCl.
with a value of 57%. At this low toluene concentration
the impaction and absorption of toluene in the solution 3.4 Effect of NaOCl concentration
dominate over the oxidation reaction. Then the removal
efficiency is low and slightly increased with the The experiments were carried out at five different
increasing of the concentration. For the second region NaOCl concentrations in the range of 0 to 0.03 mg/l. The
with higher toluene concentration (750-1500 ppm) the experiments performed to study the effect of NaOCl
toluene removal efficiency is significantly increased with concentration on toluene removal efficiency. It was
the increasing of toluene concentration. These can be found that at the concentration of 0 mg/l, the toluene
explained by the rate law of toluene oxidation by NaOCl removal efficiency is approx. 20%. The result of
[5] as Eq.4. The order of reaction with respect to toluene experiment for the concentration range of 0.006-0.03
is 1.1. Then the reaction rate will significantly high at mg/l is present in Fig.5. This curve shows that increasing
higher toluene concentration and the oxidation reaction the NaOCl concentration in the range of 0.006 to 0.02
will dominate over the impaction and absorption mg/l significantly improved the toluene removal
characteristic. Thus the toluene removal efficiency was efficiency. The higher NaOCl concentration (> 0.02
significantly increased with increasing toluene mg/l) had tend to less effect on toluene removing, most
concentration. likely due to the useless of excess NaClO. It advises that
the optimum NaOCl concentration for the scrubbing
system is 0.02 mg/l.
− rtoluene = kC toluene
1.1
C NaOCl
0.1
(4)

65 90
% To luene rem o v ed

63 88
% Toluene removal

61 86

59 84

57 82

55 80
0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800 0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035

O xidant concentration (mol/l)

Toluene concentration (ppm)
Fig.5. Effect of NaOCl concentration on toluene removal
Fig.3. Effect of toluene concentration on toluene removal in wet scrubber using NaOCl reagent.
in wet scrubber using NaOCl oxidative reagent.

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 3.5 Effect of drop size 3. The highest of the toluene treatment in this
study is 85%. The suggestions to improve figure are
The effect of NaOCl solution drop size on the
using the spray nozzle that can produce NaOCl solution
toluene removal was studied by changing the opening of
in the form of mist, increase the capacity of the solution
spray nozzle. The second set of experiments was later
recirculation and volume of the spray chamber.
designed and tested as shown the result in Table 2. The
data shows that the decrease of drop size contributes to 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
the increase of the toluene removal efficiency. It is
The Prince of Songkla University provided the
because the decreasing in drop size results the increasing
funding for this research, budget year 2004. The authors
in both number and surface area of NaOCl drop. Then
thank the Graduate school for partially support to student
the diffusion, impaction and reaction with oxidant
and grateful to other support from the Department of
increased because of the increasing in contacted
Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Prince of
opportunity and surface reaction of toluene with the
Songkla University.
NaOCl droplet.
6. REFERENCE
Table 2. Toluene removal efficiency at difference size of
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spray nozzle.
organic compounds from polluted air” Journal of
NaOCl solution
Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Vol.13,
Diameter Flow rate % Toluene
3
2000, pp.527-545.
(mm) (m /h) removed [2] S.I. Shabunya, B. Wende, S.p. Fisenko, and K.
1 0.5 47.1 Schaber, “Simulation and experiments on the
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toluene concentration of 350 ppm, and NaOCl Available online:
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[4] C.T. Tsai, C.T. Kuo, and S.T. Lin, “Analysis of
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2. The preparation of NaOCl solution should not
higher than the optimum value because the NaOCl
excess is useless and unnecessary cost.