GAS

ABSORPTION
GAS ABSORPTION
• Used to separate a gas component by
washing or scrubbing the gas stream with a
liquid (usually pure) stream
• Because of mass transfer, one or more
components of the gas stream dissolves or is
absorbed in the liquid stream

Component(s) to be
Solute/Absorbate removed from an entering
gas stream
Solvent/Absorbent Liquid used to remove the
solute from a gas stream
absorbed
component
GAS ABSORPTION
• Also known as “gas washing” or “gas scrubbing”
• Purpose:
(a) gas purification
- removal of air pollutants from exhaust gases
- removal of contaminants from gases that will
still be processed
(b) separation of a component that has economic
value
• Usually partnered with stripping process
STRIPPING
• Opposite or reverse of gas absorption
• A.k.a “desorption”
• Removes the absorbed solute from the
solvent by letting the liquid (exiting the
absorption equipment) to come in contact
with an inert gas
• Facilitates recovery (or regeneration) and
recycling of the absorbent
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:

• If water was used as absorbent, it is normally

separated from the solute via distillation instead of
stripping
• The principles of absorption and desorption are the
basically the same; they mostly differ in the direction
of mass transfer
WHAT HAPPENS DURING GAS
ABSORPTION?
1. Diffusion of solute
in the bulk gas
mixture towards
the gas-liquid
interface due to
the concentration
gradient

Solute gas
WHAT HAPPENS DURING GAS
ABSORPTION?
2. Interaction of
solute to liquid
solvent (known as
solvation) at the
gas-liquid
interface due to
gas-liquid
solubility

Solute gas
 WHAT HAPPENS DURING GAS
ABSORPTION?
3. Diffusion of solute
gas through the gas-
liquid interface due
to the concentration
gradient thus
permitting further
solvation

Solute gas
EXAMPLES OF INDUSTRIES WHERE GAS
ABSORPTION IS APPLIED
INDUSTRY ABSORBATE ABSORBENT
Sweetening of Natural Gas H2S Liquid amine
(ex. Glycol)
Gas dehydration Chlorine H2SO4
(98% by wt.)
Air pollution control NOx Water, H2SO4 or
organic solvents
Gas emissions in melting SO2 Water
furnace in glass production
Carbonation of Softdrinks CO2 Softdrink
FACTORS AFFECTING GAS ABSORPTION
PERFORMANCE
1. Solubility of the solute gas to the liquid
absorbent
 choose the proper solvent to be used

2. Design and type of equipment to be used

3. Rate of mass transfer/diffusion of solute

gas to the liquid absorbent
 calculation of mass transfer
coefficients
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED
• Solubility of the gas to the absorbent
 Solubility of the gas is very high if the solute
reacts with the absorbent,
 If absorbent is to be
re-used, the reaction should
be reversible
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED

• Solubility of the gas to the absorbent (cont.)

 Generally, an absorbent with the same chemical
nature as the solute will
provide good solubility
(“like dissolves like” principle)
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED

• Solubility of the gas to the absorbent (cont.)

 Advantages of high gas solubility
a. increased absorption rate
b. smaller quantity of
absorbent required for the
operation
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED

• Volatility of Absorbent
 Should have low vapor pressure ( low
volatility) to reduce loss of absorbent in the
exiting stream
 Loss of absorbent is costly
and may cause
environmental problems
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED
• Viscosity of the Absorbent
 Low viscosity is preferred since they offer rapid
absorption rates, low pressure drops during
pumping of absorbent, improve
flooding characteristics
in absorption towers and
good heat transfer
characteristics (if needed)
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED
• Cost
 should be inexpensive
 readily available (reason why water is most
commonly used)
 low cost absorbents more preferred over
expensive ones even if the expensive ones offer
higher solubility or lower volatility
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE
ABSORBENT TO BE USED

• Others
 non-toxic
 non-corrosive
 non-flammable
 chemically stable
 low freezing point (if equipment placed outdoors)
EQUIPMENT FOR ABSORPTION AND
STRIPPING
• Provide intimate contact of the two phases
for inter-phase diffusion of the required
component(s)

• Commonly-used:
1. Plate Column (either plate or tray)
2. Packed Column
3. Spray Tower
4. Bubble Column
5. Centrifugal contactor
PLATE COLUMN

• Liquid and gas streams are

contacted in stepwise fashion
on plates or trays

• Gas and liquid streams usually

flow in a countercurrent
fashion
PLATE COLUMN

• Gas moves upward thru openings in tray, bubbles

into the liquid before passing to the tray above
TRAYS USED IN A PLATE/TRAY COLUMN

• Sieve or perforated trays

are the simplest and the
ones most widely used
because of their low cost
TRAYS USED IN A PLATE/TRAY COLUMN
• Case valve caps are best
used when flexibility in
vapor flow is required

• If no incoming gas stream,

cap covers the tray hole

• Cap rises when gas flows

and the height depends
on the gas stream flowrate
 TYPE OF TRAYS USED IN A PLATE/TRAY COLUMN

• Bubble cap trays are preferred to be

used need to control the amount of
absorbent held in each tray (provide
adequate residence time for chemical
reactions)
PLATE COLUMN

• Provide more contact between the two fluid phases

due to repeated mixing and separation
• Can handle greater absorbent loads w/o experiencing
flooding problem
• Trays/plates can be cleaned more easily
• Easier to install cooling coils (if needed)
• Absorbent can easily be withdrawn from the plates for
external cooling (if needed)
PLATE COLUMN

• Slow rate of mass transfer since contact between gas

and liquid streams is not continuous (i.e. stage wise)
• Occurrence of higher pressure drops which can affect
upward flow of gas stream (esp if tall column)
• Plugging and fouling may occur
• Higher material and fabrication costs due to
plates/trays
• Large quantity of absorbent are retained inside the
column (i.e. high liquid hold up)
PACKED COLUMN
• Contains 1 or more sections of
packing material
• Liquid stream flows downward
(via gravity) in the void spaces
between packing materials as
film or droplets
• Gas flows upward through the
wetted packing and comes in
contact with the liquid stream
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN: SHELL

• Just a simple cylinder

• Have to consider the

substances that will be
handled by the column when
choosing the proper materials
for construction
PARTS OF A PACKED
COLUMN:

DEMISTER PAD
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN: DEMISTER PAD
• A.k.a. “Mist eliminator”
• Enhances removal of absorbent droplets entrained in
the exiting gas stream
• Minimizes absorbent losses
PARTS OF A PACKED
COLUMN:

LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR
and
RE-DISTRIBUTOR
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR/RE-DISTRIBUTOR

• Can be considered as the most important of all the

column internal devices
• Ensures uniform distribution of absorbent as it enters
the packed section
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
LIQUID DISTRIBUTOR/RE-DISTRIBUTOR
• A re-distributor is usually needed if the height of the
packing material is more than 20 feet since liquid
channeling may occur

the liquid moving down the column

moves towards the region of
greatest void space (i.e. located
near the column wall where
packing is not tightly packed)
PARTS OF A PACKED
COLUMN:

SUPPORT GRID/PLATE
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
SUPPORT GRID OR PLATE
• Holds up the physical weight of the packing material
• Needs to be constructed in such a way that it will not
affect the flow and pressure of the gas stream
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
HOLD DOWN GRID / BED LIMITER
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
HOLD DOWN GRID / BED LIMITER
• Floats on top of the packed bed to keep the top layer
from fluidizing during operation due to high gas
velocities
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
HOLD DOWN GRID / BED LIMITER
• Usually made from wire mesh (or expanded metal)
screen attached to an annular frame
• Open area is usually  85% of the column cross-
sectional area so as not to affect flow of fluid streams
PARTS OF A PACKED
COLUMN:

PACKED BED /
PACKINGS
PARTS OF A PACKED COLUMN:
PACKINGS
• The most important component of a packed column
• Provides sufficient area of contact between the two
fluid streams

• Characteristics of a good
packing material:
1. Inert to the fluids in the
column
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PACKING MATERIAL
2. Strong without excessive weight
 Low bulk density
 Weight of packings in large columns can
be quite large causing serious support
problems
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PACKING MATERIAL
3. Contain adequate void spaces where both fluid
streams can pass through without excessive pressure
drop or liquid hold up
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PACKING MATERIAL
4. Provide good contact between liquid and gas
streams

5. Relatively inexpensive
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
1. Random (dumped) packings
 packings of different sizes, geometries and
materials which are just poured inside the
column to form a bed
 Size ranges from 1” to 3.5”
 As size increases, mass transfer efficiency
increases but pressure of gas stream decreases
(therefore, have to determine optimum packing
size)
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
1. Random (dumped) packings (cont.)
RASCHIG RINGS

Widely used in because they are inexpensive

Not as efficient as newer kind of random packings
If thick-walled, can increase pressure drop, lower
passageway of fluids and reduce surface area for
interphase contact
If thin-walled, better contact between streams but
strength can be compromised
Diameter and height are designed to be equal
 PALL RINGS
• Some sections of the ring
wall have been stamped and
bent inwards
• Gives better circulation of
the contacting phases
INTALOX SADDLE

Gives a greater degree of randomness than Raschig rings

Give a more effective nesting of pieces to obtain good
wetting characteristics
More expensive than Raschig rings
BERL SADDLE

Costly to produce but have some advantage over other

kinds of random packings
Can be packed with more randomness than the ring-types
Gives relatively larger surface area per unit volume of
packing
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
1. Random (dumped) packings (cont.)

Material Remarks
Superior wettability but inferior
Packings made strength
from ceramic Used only to resist corrosion at
elevated temperatures
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
1. Random (dumped) packings (cont.)
Material Remarks
Inexpensive and with sufficient
strength
Packings made Low wettability especially if low
from plastic liquid flow rates
(usually
Can handle corrosive materials
polypropylene)
Cannot be used at high
temperatures
Cannot handle fluids where
plastics are soluble
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
1. Random (dumped) packings (cont.)

Material Remarks
Most preferred due to good
wettability and superior strength
Packings made Cannot be used if any of the fluid
from metals streams contain corrosive
components
Expensive but offers high mass
transfer
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
2. Structured packings
 packing manufactured in modular form to
permit stacking in an arranged manner
 tend to be made of corrugated or textured
sheets
 the height of each module ranges from 6 to 12
inches
 most of the time, have more contact area per
volume of packing thus better performance
than random packings
 more expensive
TYPES OF PACKING MATERIALS
2. Structured packings (cont.)
WHEN TO USE PLATE COLUMN OVER PACKED
COLUMN AND VICE VERSA
• Plate column usually used if:
 large – scale operation
 liquid stream flow rate is so low that packing
material would be inadequately wetted
• Packed column usually used if:
 some components of the fluid streams can cause
corrosion in plates/trays
 liquid stream can undergo extreme foaming
 small – scale operation requiring < 2 ft column
diameter
SPRAY TOWER

• Vertical, cylindrical vessel

filled with gas unto which
liquid is sprayed
• Used only if:
a. 1 or 2 theoretical stages
are required
b. very low pressure drop
is allowed
SPRAY TOWER
• Used only if (cont):
c. desired gas
component is very
soluble in the
absorbent used
• Widely used for its
simplicity, low pressure
drop and resistance to
plugging and fouling
BUBBLE COLUMN

• Vertical, cylindrical vessel

that is partially filled with
liquid into which gas is
forced (under pressure) to
bubble through
• Drop in gas stream
pressure is high and has
low gas throughput
BUBBLE COLUMN
• Usually used if solubility of gas in absorbent is very
low and/or a slow chemical reaction takes place in
the liquid phase, thus requiring an appreciable
residence time
CENTRIFUGAL CONTACTOR
• Consists of a stationary,
ringed housing, intermixed
with a ringed rotating section
• Liquid stream is fed near the
center of the packing from
which it is forced to flow
outward due to centrifugal
force
• Gas stream flows inward with
pressure as the driving force
CENTRIFUGAL CONTACTOR
• Advantages:
a. Very high mass transfer rates can be achieved
using moderate rotation
b. Can achieve the efficiency of a multi-stage
column with just a small unit

• Usually used if space required for plate or packed

column is unavailable or when short residence time
is desired
PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Foaming
 Expansion of the liquid
stream due to high gas
velocity
 Severity depends on the
physical properties of
the liquid and on the
column design
PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Foaming (cont.)
 Normal foaming provides high interfacial contact
between liquid and gas
 Excessive foaming leads to:
a. high gas stream pressure loss
b. lack of mass transfer ( low separation
efficiency)
c. decreases column capacity
PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Entrainment
 Due to high gas velocity, some liquid particles are
being carried out the column
 Disadvantages:
a. reduction in column efficiency
b. lowers quality of exiting gas stream (i.e.
presence of absorbent)
c. can cause column flooding (in severe cases)
PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Flooding
 Occurs due to unresolved
entrainment problems
 High gas velocity
prevents the liquid stream
from flowing downwards
 Can be detected by an
increase in pressure w/in
the column and decrease in
separation efficiency
PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Weeping
 Usually encountered in
plate columns
 Due to low gas velocity,
some liquid starts to leak
through the tray openings
 Excessive weeping is
known as dumping
 PROBLEMS USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN AN
ABSORPTION EQUIPMENT
• Channeling
 Occurs when liquid
velocity is low
 Liquid film that forms
on the packing surface is
of uneven thickness; in
some portions, packing is
dry
 INTRODUCTION TO ADSORPTION
Adsorption ≠ Absorption !
• Absorption – a fluid phase is transferred from one medium
to another.
• Adsorption – certain components of a fluid (liquid or gas)
phase are transferred to and held at the surface of a solid
(e.g. small particles binding to a carbon bed to improve
water quality)
• Adsorbent – the adsorbing phase (carbon, silica gel,
zeolite)
• Adsorbate – the material adsorbed at the surface of
adsorbent .
 INTRODUCTION TO ADSORPTION
Application of Adsorption:
• Used in many industrial processes:
– Adsorbing the desired product from
fermentation broths.
– Isolation of proteins.
– Dehumidification.
– odour/colour/taste removal.
– gas pollutant removal (H2S).
– water softening and deionisation.
– hydrocarbon fractionation.
– pharmaceutical purification.
 INTRODUCTION TO ADSORPTION
* NATURE OF ADSORBENT
• Porous material - Large surface area per unit mass
- internal surface area greater than the
external surface area
- often 500 to 1000 m2/g.
• Granular (50μm - 12 mm diameter), small pellets or
beads.
• Suitable for packed bed use.
• Activated carbon, silica gel, alumina, zeolites, clay
minerals, ion exchange resins.
• Separation occurs because differences in molecular
weight, shape or polarity of components.
• Rate of mass transfer is dependent on the void fraction
within the pores.
Silica structure

Zeolite structure
 INTRODUCTION TO ADSORPTION
Types of Adsorption
1. Ion exchange
– Electrostatic attachment of ionic species to site of the
opposite charge at the surface of an adsorbent
2. Physical Adsorption
– result of intermolecular forces causing preferential
binding of certain substances to certain adsorbents
– Van der Waal forces, London dispersion force
– reversible by addition of heat (via steam, hot inert gas,
oven)
– Attachment to the outer layer of adsorbent material
3. Chemisorption
– result of chemical interaction
– Irreversible, mainly found in catalysis
– change in the chemical form of adsorbate
 Adsorption
Equipment
• Fixed-bed
adsorbers
• Gas-drying
equipment
• Pressure-swing
adsorption
 Fixed-bed Gas-drying
adsorbers Equipment

ADSORPTION
EQUIPMENT

Adsorption Pressure-
From swing
Liquids Adsorption
 PRESSURE-SWING ADSORPTION

• Most often, adsorption is used as a purification

process to remove small amounts of material,
but, there is a number of applications involve
separations of gas mixtures with moderate to
high concentration of adsorbates.
• These are called bulk separations, and they
often use different operating procedures than for
gas purification.
• Pressure-swing adsorption (PSA) is a bulk
separation process that is used for small-scale
air separation plants and for concentration of
hydrogen in process streams.
 ADSORPTION FROM
LIQUIDS

• Use of activated carbon to

remove pollutants from
aqueous wastes.
• Use carbon beds up to 10 m
tall, several ft in diameter,
several bed operating in
parallel.
• Tall beds are needed to
ensure adequate treatment.
 Adsorption Isotherms ANALYSIS

• Adsorption isotherm – equilibrium relationship

between the concentration in the fluid phase and the
concentration in the adsorbent particles.
• For gas – concentration in mole % or partial pressure
• For liquid – concentration in mg/L (ppm) or μg/L
(ppb)
• Concentration of adsorbate on the solid = mass
adsorbed (g) per unit mass of original adsorbent
(g).
TYPES OF ISOTHERMS
Amount adsorbed is
independent of
concentration down
to very low values.

Amount adsorbed is
proportional to the
concentration in the
fluid.

Concave upward; low solid loadings are

obtained and because it leads to quite long
mass-transfer zones in the bed. (this shape
are rare)
TYPES OF ISOTHERMS
Nearly linear isotherm up
to 50 percent humidity,
and the ultimate capacity
is about twice that for
the other solids.

Water is held most strongly by

molecular sieves, and the
adsorption is almost irreversible,
but the pore volume not as great
as for silica gel

Fig. 25.3 Adsorption

isotherms for water in air at
20 to 50 oC
 Adsorption
data for
vapors on
activated
carbon

Sometimes fitted to
Freundlich isotherms,
but data for wide range
of pressures show
isotherm slopes gradually
decrease as the pressure
is increased.
 Amount of adsorbed
depends on (T/V) log (fs/f),
where:
T: adsorption temperature
(Kelvin).
V: molar volume of the
liquid at the boiling point
fs: fugacity of the saturated
liquid at adsorption
temperature
f: fugacity of the vapor

For adsorption at
atmospheric pressure;
* fugacity = partial pressure
= vapor pressure

Volume adsorbed is
converted to mass by
assuming the adsorbed
liquid has the same density
as liquid at the boiling
point.
 QUESTION 1

EXAMPLE 25.1.
Adsorption on BPL carbon is used to treat an airstream
containing 0.2 percent n-hexane at 20 oC.
(a) Estimate the equilibrium capacity for a bed
operating to 20 oC.
(b) How much would the capacity decrease if the heat
of adsorption raised the bed temperature to 40 oC.
ANSWER
(a) Estimate the equilibrium capacity for a bed operating to 20 oC.

The MWn-hexane (C6H14)= 86.17, At 20o C (from Perry’s Handbook, 7thed.)

Pʹ=120mm Hg ≈ fs. At the normal boiling point (68.7 oC), ρL=0.615 g/cm3. The
adsorption pressure P is 760 mm Hg.
86.17
p  0.002 x 760  1.52 mmHg  f V  140.1 cm 3 /gmol
0.615
T f 293 120
log s  log  3.97
V f 140.1 1.52
from Fig 25.4, volume adsorbed is 31 cm 3 liquid per100 g carbon;
W  0.31 x 0.615  0.19 g/g carbon.

(b) At 40 oC, Pˊ= 276 mm Hg

T f 313 276
log s  log  5.05
V f 140.1 1.52
from Fig 25.4, volume adsorbed is 27 cm 3 liquid per100 g carbon;
W  0.27 x 0.615  0.17 g/g carbon.
 4 TYPES OF ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS

1. Linear Isotherms
- Adsorption amount is proportional to the
concentration in the fluid

2. Irreversible – independent of concentration

3. Langmuir Isotherm – favorable type

4. Freundlich Isotherm – strongly favorable type

 LANGMUIR ISOTHERM
• Often been used to correlate equilibrium adsorption data
for protein.
• Isotherms that convex upward are called favorable.

 Kc 
W  Wmax  
 1  Kc 
• Where:
W = adsorbate loading (g absorbed/g solid)
c = the concentration in the fluid (mg/L)
K = the adsorption constant
K >> 1 : the isotherm is strongly favorable.

• Wmax and K are constants determined experimentally by

plotting 1/W against 1/c
 FREUNDLICH ISOTHERM
✓ strongly favourable
✓ Describe the adsorption of variety of antibiotics, steroids
and hormones.
✓ high adsorption at low fluid concentration

W  bc m
where b and m are constant
- Linearize the equation: Log W = log b + m log c
- Constant determined from experimental data by plotting
log W versus log c
- Slope = m, intercept = b