EPA-452/F-03-010

Air Pollution Control Te chnology

Fact Sheet

Name of Technology: Condensation Scrubber

This type of technology is a part o f the g roup of air p ollutio n con trols c ollect ively referred to as “we t scrubb ers.”

Type of Techno logy: Rem oval of air po llutants by use of condensation to increase pollutant particle size,
followed by inertial interception.

Applica ble Pollutants: Condensation scrubbers are typica lly intended to control fine particulate matter (PM)
with an aerodynamic diameter of between approximately 0.25 and 1.0 micrometers (µm) (S un, 1994 ).

Achiev able Emission Limits/Reductions: Colle ction efficiencies of greater than 99 percent have been
reported for particulate emissions, based on s tudy results (Sun, 1994).

Applicable Source T ype: Point

Typical Industrial Applications:

Condensation scru bbe rs ar e inte nde d for use in controlling fine PM-containing waste-gas stream s, and are
designed specifica lly to capture fine PM wh ich has e scape d a prim ary PM c ontrol dev ice. The tech nolog y is
suita ble for both new and retrofit installations. Condensation scrubbing systems are a relatively new
technology and are not yet generally comm ercially available (Sun, 1994; EPA, 1998; M cMurry, 1999).

Emission Stream Characteristics:

a. Air F lo w : Typical air flows are on the order of 10 standard cubic meters per second
(sm 3/sec) or 21,000 standard cubic feet per m inute (scfm) (Sun, 1994).

b. Temperature: The waste gas entering a conde nsation s crubbe r is gener ally cooled to
saturation conditions, approximately 20 to 26 / C (68 to 78/ F) (Sun, 1994).

c. Pollutant Loading: Pollutant loading is dependent upon the control effectiveness for fine
PM of the primary PM control system. Fine PM may, in some cases, com prise up to 90
percent of the total mass of PM emissions from a combu stion source, and ma ny primary
control technologies have relatively low collection efficiencies for fine PM (Sun, 1994).

d. Other Consideration s: The fine fraction of PM emissions from a combustion source often
contains cadm ium and other metals. Use of a condensation scrubber to capture fine PM
may provide an effective m ethod of reducing the em ission of metals (Sun, 1994).

Emission Stream Pretreatment Requirements:

For PM control from c ombus tion sources, the flue gas enters a coagulation area (e.g., ductwork, a cha mber,
or a cyclone) to reduce the num ber of ult rafine particles, and then a gas conditioner to cool the gas to a
suita ble temperature and s aturation state. This is generally accomplished by means of a waste heat recovery
heat ex chang er to reduce the temperature of the flue gas or by spraying water directly into the hot flue gas

EPA-CICA Fact Sheet 1 Packed Bed/Packed Tower Scrubber

stream. It is usually not practical or cost effective to cool flue gases to temperatures below ambient values.
Condensation scrubbers are generally intended to be used downstream of another scrubber (e.g., a venturi
scrubber) which has already removed PM >1.0 :m aerodynam ic diameter (Sun, 1994).

Cost Information:

The following provides cost information (expressed in fourth quarter 1993 dollars) for retrofitting an existing
scrubber system with a condensation scrubber under typical operating conditions , adapted from EPA c ost-
estimating spread sheets (EPA, 1 996) an d refere nced to the volum etric flow rate of the wa ste stream treated.
For purposes of calculating the example cost effectiveness, the pollutant is PM a t a load ing of appr oxim ately
7 grams per stan dard cubic me ter (g/sm 3) or 3 grains per standard cubic foot (gr/scf). The costs do not
include costs for post-treatment or disposa l of used solvent or waste (Sun, 1994).

a. Capital Cost: $13,000 per sm3/sec, ($6.00 per scfm)

b. O & M Cost: $5,300 per sm3/sec ($2.5 0 per scfm ), ann ually

c. Annualized Co st: $7,000 per sm3/sec ($3.4 0 per scfm ), ann ually

d. Cost Effectiveness: $65 per metric ton ($59 per short ton), annualized cost per ton per
year of pollutant controlled

Theory of Operation:

Condensation scrubbing is a relatively recent developmen t in wet scrubber technology. Most conventional
scrubbers rely on the me cha nism s of im pac tion a nd dif fusio n to a chie ve co ntac t betw een the P M an d liquid
droplets. In a condensation scrubber, the PM act as condensation nuc lei for the formation of droplets.
Gen erally, condensation scrubbing depends on first establishing saturation conditions in the gas stream.
Once saturation is achieved, steam is injected into the gas stream. The steam creates a condition of
supersaturation and le ads to co nde nsa tion o f wate r on th e fine PM in the gas stream. The large condensed
droplets are then removed by one of several conventional devices, such as a high efficiency mist eliminator
(EPA, 1 998).

Advantages:

Advantages of cond ensation scrubbers include (Coo per, 1994):

1. Can handle flammable and explosive dusts with little risk;

2. Can handle fine PM;
3. Collection efficiency can be varied; and
4. Corrosive gases and dusts can be neutralized.

Disadvantages:

Disadvantages of con densation scrubbers include (Perry, 1984, Coo per, 1994):

1. Effluent liquid can create water pollution problems;

2. W aste pro duct co llected we t;

3. High potential for corrosion problems;

EPA-CICA Fact Sheet 2 Packed Bed/Packed Tower Scrubber

 4. Protection against freezing required;

5. Off-gas may require reheating to avoid visible plume;

6. Collected particulate may be contaminated, and may not be recyclable; and

7. Disposal of waste sludge may be very expensive.

Other Considerations:

For PM applications, wet scrubbers generate waste in the form of a slurry. T his crea tes the ne ed for bo th
wastewater treatm ent a nd so lid waste disposal. Initially, the slurry is treated to separate the solid waste from
the water. The treated water can then be reused or discharged. Once the water is removed, the remaining
waste will be in the form of a solid or sludge. If the solid waste is inert a nd nontoxic, it can generally be
landfilled. Hazardous wastes will have more stringent procedures for dispo sal. In som e cas es, th e solid
waste may have va lue and can be sold or recycled (EPA, 199 8).

References:

Coop er, 1994 . David C ooper a nd F. Alley, Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach, 2 nd Edition,
Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, IL, 1994.

EPA, 1 996. U.S . EPA, O ffice of Air Q uality Planning and Sta ndards , “OAQ PS Co ntrol Cos t Manu al,” Fifth
Edition, EP A 453/B -96-001 , Resea rch Tria ngle Par k, NC Februa ry.

EPA, 1998. U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, “Stationary Source Control
Techniques Document for Fine Particulate Matter,” EPA-452/R-97-001, Research Triangle Park, NC,
October.

McMurry, 1999. Peter McMurry, University of Minnesota, Department of Mechanical Engineering, (612)
624-2817, personal communication with Eric Albright, May 25, 1999.

Perry, 198 4. “Perry’s C hem ical Engine ers’ Han dbook ,” edited by R obert Pe rry and Do n Gree n, 6 th Edition,
McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1984.

Sun, 1994. Jinjun Sun, Benjamin Liu, Peter McMurry, and Stephen Greenwood, “A Method to Increase
Contro l Efficiencies of W et Scrub bers for Subm icron Pa rticles and Particulate Metals,” J . Air & W aste
Management Association, 44:2, February 1994.

EPA-CICA Fact Sheet 3 Packed Bed/Packed Tower Scrubber