Capture polluting gases

For gas absorption, the water or other solvent must be treated to remove the captured pollutant from the solution. The effluent from the column may be recycled into the system and used again. This is usually the case if the solvent is costly (e.g., hydrocarbon oils, caustic solutions, amphiphilic block copolymer). Initially, the recycle stream may go to a treatment system to remove the pollutants or the reaction product. Make-up solvent may then be added before the liquid stream reenters the column. 

This technique detects substances qualitatively and quantitatively. The chromatogram retention time is compound-specific, and peak-height indicates the concentration of pollutant in the air. Detection systems include flame ionization, thermal conductivity and electron capture. Traditionally gas chromatography is a laboratory analysis but portable versions are now available for field work. Table 9.4 lists conditions for one such portable device. 

Environmental Analysis One of the most important environmental applications of gas chromatography is for the analysis of numerous organic pollutants in air, water, and wastewater. The analysis of volatile organics in drinking water, for example, is accomplished by a purge and trap, followed by their separation on a capillary column with a nonpolar stationary phase. A flame ionization, electron capture, or... 

Of the three categories, the packed column is by far the most commonly used for the absorption of gaseous pollutants. Miscellaneous gas-absorption equipment could include acid gas scrubbers that are commonly classified as either wet or diy. In wet scrubber systems, the absorption tower uses a hme-based sorbent liquor that reacts with the acid gases to form a wet/solid by-product. Diy scrubbers can be grouped into three catagories (1) spray diyers (2) circulating spray diyers and (3) dry injection. Each of these systems yields a diy product that can be captured with a fabric filter baghouse downstream and... 

Charging and tapping emissions are controlled by a variety of evacuation systems and operating practices. Charging hoods, tapside enclosures, and full furnace enclosures are used in the industry to capture these emissions and send them to either the primary hood gas cleaner or a second gas cleaner.1516 Pollution prevention opportunities for the reduction of heavy metals at the BOF are limited as heavy metals are an inherent part of the iron ore material stream, so the higher the iron production, the greater will be the use of the ore. 

Improved gasifier designs would be more durable and capable of handling a variety of carbon-based feedstocks. Advanced gas cleaning technologies would capture virtually all of the ash particles, sulfur, nitrogen, alkali, chlorine and hazardous air pollutants. 

Xu T, Cho IK, Wang D, Rubio FM, Shelver WL, Gasc AME, Li J, Li QX (2009) Suitability of magnetic particle immunoassay for the analysis of PBDEs in Hawaiian euryhaline fish and crabs in comparison with gas chromatography/electron capture detection-ion trap mass spectrometry. Environmental Pollution 157 417 22... 

Influent streams with contaminant concentrations greater than 0.01% generally cannot be treated by air stripping. Even at lower influent concentrations, air strippers may not be able to meet cleanup goals. Typically, some air pollution control technology is required to capture or destroy contaminants in the off-gas stream or the treated effluent. 

The formation and fate of peroxyacyl nitrates, RC(0)00N02, were discussed in Chapter 6.1. These compounds are almost universally measured using gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD), although a luminol chemiluminescence detector has also been used in which PAN is thermally decomposed to N02 at the end of the column and the N02 measured (Burkhardt et al., 1988 Blanchard et al., 1990 Gaffney et al., 1998). In polluted atmospheres where the concentrations are higher, FTIR has also been used (Table 11.2). For a summary of methods, see reviews by Gaffney et al. (1989) and Kleindienst (1994). 

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