Environmental Engineering Unit-IV

Air Pollution Control Measures and Equipment

Dr. Abhi Mukherjee

Department of Chemical Engineering
Contai Polytechnic
Contents

1 Introduction 2
1.1 Elements of Unit-IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 Control of particulate and gaseous emission 3

2.1 Control of particulate emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Control of gaseous emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.1 Absorption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.2 Adsorption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.3 Incineration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.4 Carbon sequestration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3 Flue gas treatment method from stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3 Equipments for treatment of air pollution 6

3.1 Gravity settling chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Scrubbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.1 Dry Scrubbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.2 Wet Scrubbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Air Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3.1 HEPA Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3.2 Fabric Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3.3 Cartridge Dust Collectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4 Cyclones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 Electrostatic Precipitators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6 Incinerators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1
Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Elements of Unit-IV

1. Control of Particulate Emission
2. Control of Gaseous Emission
3.Flue Gas Treatment Methods
a)Stacks Gravitational and Inertial Separation
b)Settling Chambers
c)Dynamic Separators
d)Cyclones
d)Filtration
e)Liquid Scrubbing
e)Spray Chambers
f)Packed Towers
g)Orifice and Ventury Scrubbers
h)Electrostatic Precipitators
i)Gas/solid Adsoruption
j)Thermal Decomposition

1.2 Introduction
Air pollutants are generated by nearly every facet of the industrial process, including raw
material sourcing, product manufacturing, maintenance and repair services, and distribution.
The most effective means of dealing with the problem of air pollution is to prevent the formation
of the pollutants or minimize their emission at the source itself.
When source correction methods cannot achieve the desired goal of air pollution control
effluent gas cleaning methods are applied using air pollution control equipments. There are
several different types of air pollution control equipment available for air pollutants produced
by both mobile and stationary sources across a wide range of industries.
Emission control equipments can be classified into two general categories
(i) Particulate control type
(ii) Gaseous or odours control type

2
Chapter 2

Control of particulate and gaseous

emission

2.1 Control of particulate emission

Particulate matter emitted in gaseous streams consists of discrete and minute suspended par-
ticles. Particle sizes range generally from 100µm to 0.1µm.
To exercise control at source or to reduce the effect of particulate pollution , the following
techniques can be used:
1. Gas cleaning devices for removal of particulates
2. Source relocation
3. Fuel substitution
4. Process changes
5. Good operating practices
6. Source shutdown
7. Dispersion
the selection of a specific type of collector or cleaning devices involve the following consid-
eration
i. Particulate characteristics
a) Physical characteristics
b) Chemical characteristics
c) Particulate size
d) Concentration in the gas stream
e) Volume of particulates to be handled
f) Temperature and humidity of gaseous medium
g) Toxicity
h) Inflammability
ii) Process factors
iii) Economic factors
iv) Collection efficiency
The basic mechanisms of removing particulate matter from gas streams may be classified
as:
A. Gravitational settling
B. Centrifugal Impaction
C. Inertial Impaction
D. Direct Interception
E. Diffusion
F. Electrostatic Precipitation

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The equipments which are presently available, which make use of one or more of the above
mechanisms fall into the following five broad categories
I. Gravitational settling chambers.
II. Cyclone separators
III. Fabric filters
IV. Electrostatic precipitators
V. Scrubbers (Dry and Weight)
The equipments will be discussed in detail in chapter 3.

2.2 Control of gaseous emissions

Gaseous criteria pollutants, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gaseous
air toxics, are controlled by means of three basic techniques: absorption, adsorption, and
incineration (or combustion). These techniques can be employed singly or in combination.
They are effective against the major greenhouse gases as well. In addition, a fourth technique,
known as carbon sequestration, is in development as a means of controlling carbon dioxide
levels.

2.2.1 Absorption
In the context of air pollution control, absorption involves the transfer of a gaseous pollutant
from the air into a contacting liquid, such as water. The liquid must be able either to serve as
a solvent for the pollutant or to capture it by means of a chemical reaction.

2.2.2 Adsorption
Gas adsorption, as contrasted with absorption, is a surface phenomenon. The gas molecules
are sorbed—attracted to and held—on the surface of a solid. Gas adsorption methods are used
for odour control at various types of chemical-manufacturing and food-processing facilities, in
the recovery of a number of volatile solvents (e.g., benzene), and in the control of VOCs at
industrial facilities.

2.2.3 Incineration
The process called incineration or combustion—chemically, rapid oxidation—can be used to
convert VOCs and other gaseous hydrocarbon pollutants to carbon dioxide and water. Incin-
eration of VOCs and hydrocarbon fumes usually is accomplished in a special incinerator called
an afterburner. To achieve complete combustion, the afterburner must provide the proper
amount of turbulence and burning time, and it must maintain a sufficiently high temperature.
Sufficient turbulence, or mixing, is a key factor in combustion because it reduces the required
burning time and temperature. A process called direct flame incineration can be used when
the waste gas is itself a combustible mixture and does not need the addition of air or fuel.

2.2.4 Carbon sequestration

The best way to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the air is to use energy more efficiently
and to reduce the combustion of fossil fuels by using alternative energy sources (e.g., nuclear,
wind, tidal, and solar power). In addition, carbon sequestration can be used to serve the
purpose. Carbon sequestration involves the long-term storage of carbon dioxide underground,
as well as on the surface of Earth in forests and oceans. Carbon sequestration in forests and

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oceans relies on natural processes such as forest growth. However, the clearing of forests for
agricultural and other purposes (and also the pollution of oceans) diminishes natural carbon
sequestration. Storing carbon dioxide underground—a technology under development that is
also called geosequestration or carbon capture and storage—would involve pumping the gas
directly into underground geologic “reservoir” layers. This would require the separation of
carbon dioxide from power plant flue gases (or some other source)—a costly process.

2.3 Flue gas treatment method from stacks

Flue gas treatment, a process designed to reduce the amount of pollutants emitted from the
burning of fossil fuels at an industrial facility, a power plant, or another source. Flue gas—the
emitted material produced when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, or wood are burned
for heat or power—may contain pollutants such as particulates, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and
carbon dioxide. Most flue gas, however, consists of nitrogen oxides. If left untreated, flue gas
from power plants, industrial facilities, and other sources can substantially affect local and
regional air quality.
Under many national-level clean-air regulations, power plants and other facilities are re-
quired to use flue gas treatments to reduce the amount of emitted pollutants. Such approaches,
which use devices such as electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers, can successfully remove 90
percent or more of certain pollutants. However, they can be very costly to install and operate,
and requirements for flue gas treatment frequently provoke complex legal battles. Treatments
vary widely from one plant to another, and some countries have far-stricter requirements than
others. Emissions from utilities and industries in countries with less-stringent pollution laws
are a concern for environmentalists.
Flue gas treatment dates back to the 19th century when concerns grew over the impact of
sulfates on the environment. Throughout the 20th century increasingly sophisticated devices
were developed to remove pollutants by a variety of means, mostly through chemical reactions
and electrostatic charges. Those efforts took on new urgency as industrialized countries adapted
stricter air-pollution measures, such as the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1970, and as subsequent
regulations imposed increasingly stringent limits on such pollutants as fine particulates.

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Chapter 3

Equipments for treatment of air

pollution

In an industrial setting, air pollution control equipment is an umbrella term referring to

equipment and systems used to regulate and eliminate the emission of potentially hazardous
substances—including particulate matter and gases—produced by manufacturing, process sys-
tem, and research applications into the air, atmosphere, and surrounding environment. Control
equipment has applications in a wide range of industries, preventing the release of chemicals,
vapors, and dust and filtering and purifying the air within the work environment. Typically,
fans or blowers direct industrial exhaust and emissions into the air pollution control equip-
ment and systems which remove or reduce air pollutants through the use of one or more of the
following processes:
1. Combustion (i.e., destroying the pollutant.
2. Conversion (i.e., chemically changing the pollutant to a less harmful compound.)
3. Collection (i.e., removing the pollutant from the waste air before its release into the
environment and atmosphere).
Working principles of some important equipments are discussed below:

3.1 Gravity settling chamber

Settling chambers, which rely on gravitational settling as a collection mechanism, are the
simplest and oldest mechanical collectors. Settling chambers are generally built in the form of
long, horizontal, rectangular chambers with an inlet at one end and an exit at the side or top
of the opposite end. Flow within the chamber must be uniform and without any macroscopic
mixing. Uniform flow is often ensured by flow straighteners at the inlet to the chamber. Hoppers
are used to collect the settled-out material, though drag scrapers and screw conveyers have also
been employed. The dust removal system must be sealed to prevent air from leaking into the
chamber which increases turbulence, causes dust reentrainment, and prevents dust from being
properly discharged from the device.
The efficiency of settling chambers increases with residence time of the waste gas in the
chamber. Because of this, settling chambers are often operated at the lowest possible gas
velocities. In reality, the gas velocity must be low enough to prevent dust form becoming
reentrained, but not so low that the chamber becomes unreasonably large.

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Figure 3.1: Gravity settling chamber

3.2 Scrubbers
Some of the most commonly used air pollution control devices in manufacturing and processing
facilities, industrial air scrubbers employ a physical process—i.e., scrubbing—which removes
particulates and gases from industrial emissions, such as smokestack exhaust (in the case of
exhaust air scrubbers), before they are released into the atmosphere. There are two main
categories of scrubbers—dry scrubbers and wet scrubbers.

3.2.1 Dry Scrubbers

Dry scrubbers, also referred to as dry adsorption scrubbers, inject dry, neutralizing chemical
agents, such as sodium bicarbonate, into the emission stream, causing the gaseous pollutants
contained within to undergo a chemical reaction which either neutralizes the pollutants or
converts them into innocuous substances. Once the chemical reaction concludes, filters within
the scrubber chamber collect and remove the spent agents from the cleaned emission gas. In
some cases, the collected agents can be washed and reused for future dry scrubbing processes,
but, if not possible, the scrubbing waste must be disposed of by specialists. Typically, dry
scrubbers are used to remove or counteract acid gas within industrial emissions. The chemical
reactions resulting from the addition of neutralizing agents during the dry scrubbing process
helps to both reduce the acidity of the emissions and remove air pollutants.

3.2.2 Wet Scrubbers

Wet scrubbers, also referred to as wet adsorption scrubbers or wet collectors, employ liquid
solutions—typically water—to collect and remove water-soluble gas and particulate pollutants
from industrial emissions. The wet scrubbing process either passes a gas stream through a
liquid solution or injects a liquid solution into a gas stream. As the gas stream comes into
contact with the liquid, the solution absorbs the pollutant removing it from the stream. The
types of wet scrubbing equipment available include venturi, packed bed (or packed tower), and
bubbling scrubbers.

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Figure 3.2: Venturi scrubber

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3.3 Air Filters

Air filters are devices used to control air pollution which employ a specific type of filtration
media—e.g., fabric, sintered metal, ceramic, etc.—to collect and remove dry particulates and
contaminants, such as dust, pollen, microbes, chemicals, etc. from air passing through them.
These devices are utilized in residential, commercial, and industrial applications to remove
pollutants from exhaust air and improve the air quality within the work environment. For
industrial applications, there are several types of air filters available, including HEPA filters,
fabric filters, and cartridge dust collectors.

3.3.1 HEPA Filters

Industrial HEPA filters, also known as high-efficiency particulate air filters, are a category of
air filters which employ fiberglass filter mats to mechanically remove airborne particulates, such
as pollen, smoke, dust, and bio-contaminants, from within the work environment. Typically
the fiberglass filter mats have fibers ranging in size between 0.5 to 2 �m. When the blower
component of the filtration system passes air through the HEPA filter, particulates adhere to
or become embedded within the fibers. Additionally, particles passing through the filter collide
with the gas contained within, which slows their velocity and increases their chance of becoming
adhered to or embedded in the filter.
To be classified as a HEPA filter, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) designates
that a filtration system must be designed to maintain a 99.97% efficiency for collecting and
removing particulates greater than or equal to 0.3 �m in diameter. Despite their high efficiency,
HEPA filters are typically used in conjunction with other filtration components and systems
to filter and purify the air further, such as ultraviolet light, ionizers, and activated carbon air
filters.

3.3.2 Fabric Filters

Fabric filters—also referred to as baghouses—are a category of air filters which typically em-
ploy cylindrical fabric bags to trap and remove airborne dust and other particulates. As air
passes through a baghouse, the particulates collect and accumulate on the filter’s surface. The
accumulation increases the efficiency of the filter, allowing smaller particles to be collected and
causing a buildup of pressure across the filter fabric. Some baghouses are capable of attain-
ing 99.9% efficiency, even for small particulate matter. These types of filters are suitable for
filtering out air pollutants in a variety of industrial processes, including power plants, metal
processing centers, and foundries, as well as part of multi-stage cleaning systems.
The particulate accumulation and the resulting pressure differential prompt the need for pe-
riodic cleaning. There are several methods employed by baghouses to remove the accumulation
from the filter bags, including:
1. Shaking the filter bags
2. Introducing an air flow into the filter bags in the opposite direction to the filtration
process
3. Pulsing compressed air into the filter bags in the opposite direction to the filtration
process
For any of the above-mentioned removal methods, particulates fall from the filter fabric to
the bottom of the bag-house enclosure into a collection hopper for subsequent processing and
disposal.

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Figure 3.3: Fabric filter

3.3.3 Cartridge Dust Collectors

Similar to baghouses, cartridge dust collectors are air filters which utilize cartridge filters, rather
than filter bags, to collect and remove airborne dust and other particulates. The particulate
accumulation on cartridge dust collectors also requires periodic cleaning and removal. While
this type of dust collector can attain higher efficiencies than a comparable baghouse, depending
on the cartridge material, it can also be more sensitive to condensation.

3.4 Cyclones
Cyclones—also referred to as cyclone dust collectors—are air pollution control devices which,
similarly to air filters, separate dry particulate matter from gaseous emissions. However, rather
than employing filtration media, cyclones utilize centrifugal force to collect and remove par-
ticulates. As gas streams enter a cyclone, they flow along a spiral path within the cylindrical
chamber. This swirling motion forces large particulates against the chamber wall, which slows
their inertia, causing them to drop into the collection hopper below for further processing and
disposal. The cleaned gas streams continue upward and out of the cyclone.
While cyclones are typically employed for filtration applications of particulates greater than
50µm in diameter, some models are capable of greater than 90% efficiency for particulates
ranging 10 to 20µm in diameter. Efficiency increases or decreases depending on larger or smaller
particulate diameters, respectively. Typically, additional filtration devices used to control air
pollution, such as baghouses, are employed following cyclones in an air pollution control system
to remove the smaller particulates not previously separated and collected from the gas stream
by the cyclones.

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Figure 3.4: Cyclone

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Figure 3.5: Electrostatic precipitator

3.5 Electrostatic Precipitators

Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), like air filters and cyclones, are air pollution control devices
used to collect and remove particulate matter, such as dust, from industrial emissions and
exhaust. ESPs employ transformers to create high static electrical potential difference between
charging electrodes and collecting plates. As gas streams pass between the two components,
an electrical charge is introduced to the particulates, which attracts the particulate matter to
the collecting plates. Similarly to air filters, PM accumulation is periodically removed from
the collecting plates and deposited in a collection hopper below, either through mechanically
dislodging the particulates or by introducing water to clean off the particulates. ESPs which
employ the latter method are known as wet ESPs. As ESPs typically have multiple collection
plates, their efficiencies often exceed 99%.

3.6 Incinerators
Incinerators are devices which employ combustion methods to break down pollutants into non-
toxic byproducts. While these devices can be used to incinerate wastes in solid, liquid, and
gaseous form, they are widely employed in a variety of industrial applications to maintain air
quality and regulate gas emissions by converting VOCs, hydrocarbons, and other hazardous air
pollutants (HAP) into innocuous compounds, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen.
Typically, incinerators are succeeded by scrubbers in an air pollution control system, as the
scrubbing process removes any additional compounds formed through the combustion process.
Depending on the composition of the waste product, the incineration process can be ei-
ther self-sustaining or requires supplementary fuel to ensure complete combustion of the waste
compounds. Additionally, some incinerator models are available with regenerative and recu-
perative capabilities and are suitable for both continuous and batch applications. There are
several types of incinerators available, including thermal oxidizers and catalytic oxidizers.

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Figure 3.6: Incinerator

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