Types of Scrubbers
There are different types of scrubbers that are suited for removing specific contaminants from gas streams. Some of the major scrubber types are:

Wet Scrubbers
Wet scrubbers use the chemical and physical interaction between a gas stream and a liquid solution to remove particles and dissolve or react with gaseous pollutants. Common types of wet scrubbers include spray towers, venturi scrubbers, packed bed scrubbers. Wet scrubbers are effective at removing particulate matter as well as acidic gases like sulfur dioxide.

Dry Scrubbers
Dry Scrubber System do not use a liquid spray or mist, but instead rely on filtering or adsorbing pollutants directly. Popular dry scrubbers include fabric filters, electrostatic precipitators, activated carbon adsorbers. These are best suited for removing only particles from gas streams.

Wet/Dry hybrid systems
Some scrubbers make use of both wet and dry techniques for efficient removal of multiple pollutants. These include systems that first dry collect particles and then use a wet section for absorption and neutralization of acidic gases.

How Scrubber Systems Work
Regardless of the specific type, all scrubbers operate on a common working principle of contacting the contaminated gas stream with a reagent that can capture and remove the target pollutants by mechanisms of inertial impaction, interception, diffusion, or chemical reaction.

In a wet scrubbing system, the dirty gas first enters the scrubber tower or vessel from the bottom. Meanwhile, a countercurrent of reagent liquid like water flows downward from the top, creating intimate contact with the rising gas stream. The interaction causes capture of particles in the liquid droplets and dissolution or neutralization of acid gases.

The scrubbed gas then exits the top, while the contaminated liquid collects at the bottom sump. Some scrubbers use recirculated liquid while others bleed out a continuous flow. The laden liquid is further treated to recover precipitated solids and regenerate the spent reagent.

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