Experimental Study on Absorption Behavior and Efficiency of Brine in Hazardous Gas Absorption Treatment

Abstract

There have been studies recently on bubble-column scrubbers with low cost and high efficiency for the absorption and treatment of hazardous gases in the event of a chemical spill. Bubble columns are vulnerable to freezing at temperatures below zero because the absorbents generally do not circulate. To address this issue, this study focused on the applicability, absorbed amount, and performance of brine as an absorbent. Under three different temperatures, i.e., −5 °C, −8 °C and −10 °C we examined brine (NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2) by varying the concentration required at each temperature. Following the experiments, CaCl2 brine was determined as the optimal brine for its absorption performance and affordability. Based on the experimental results, the absorption performance for ammonia, ethylene oxide, and methylamine, which are hazardous and water-soluble gases among accident preparedness substances (APS), was tested by using ASEPN PLUS. Our results suggested although the efficiency dropped by about 5% to 25% when brine was used as an absorbent, it can be used at the low temperatures because the gas solubility increased with decreasing temperature. Therefore, if brine, as an alternative, is used at temperatures about 15 °C, it can operate efficiently and stably without deterioration in the absorption performance. Given our experimental results and design data on the absorbed amount and absorbent replacement period for major hazardous gases are utilized to prevent bubble columns from freezing, it can be commercially used for small and medium-sized enterprises because it can help reduce installation and operation costs.