Fume scrubbers are designed to neutralize or eliminate harmful fumes from stored chemicals. In many cases, these systems can be custom designed to ensure the right fit for your facility. Acid fume scrubbers can be designed in vertical or horizontal orientation. Before purchasing an acid fume scrubber for your facility, it is important to understand the differences between the two types of scrubbers available to you.

The two main types of acid fume scrubbers available to you include wet scrubbers and dry scrubbers. If you've used an odor scrubber in the past, you should know the differences between these two types of scrubbers. The most common acid fume scrubbers used in industrial environments and chemical applications are wet scrubbers. When you store or use chemicals, gaseous streams are created. If you have a wet scrubber installed in your building, the airflow will be driven directly into your scrubbing solution before being discharged into the air.

If you choose a wet scrubber, the most common washing solution is water. However, in some cases a different solution than water is required. The solubility of water may be lower than the chemical fumes that have been produced, indicating the need for reagents or chemical wash solutions. If you want the scrubbing solution you use to be at its most effective, it is important that the solution has a high solubility with any gases produced.

If you use water and find that the solubility is low, chemical solutions that can be used include everything from hydrogen sulfide to amines. Probably the most common solution for acid fume scrubbers is sodium hydroxide. Keep in mind that the wash solution you choose will wear out over time, and you should be aware of this. When a chemical gas is dissolved in a solution, the solution will be slowly depleted as the volume of the dissolved gas increases. To mitigate these issues, it is strongly recommended that you stick to a regular maintenance and inspection schedule.

You may also decide to use a dry scrubber when trying to remove gas fumes. While effective, these scrubbers are primarily used to remove any acid gases produced during standard combustion processes. The getter material in this type of scrubber is a dry material, not a wet solution.

The fumes fed into the scrubber are absorbed by the drying material, which ensures that these fumes are neutralized. Although there are several different materials that can be installed in dry scrubbers, the most commonly used material is probably activated carbon. The materials you decide to use in your dry scrubber system will also run out over a long period of time.

Over time, the material becomes increasingly ineffective as the chemical binding sites found on the material also become depleted. You can extend the life of your dry scrubber by performing routine maintenance and changing drying materials regularly. In most cases, wet scrubbers are considered more reliable than dry scrubbers.