A wet scrubber, also known as a "wet scrubber system," is a device used to remove pollutants from industrial and commercial exhaust streams. It is an air pollution control technology that uses a liquid, usually water, to capture and remove pollutants from an airflow. Wet scrubbers are widely used in many industries including power plants, steel mills, chemical plants and refineries.

The basic components of a wet scrubber system include the scrubber vessel, liquid recirculation system, mist eliminator, fan and chimney. The scrubber container contains a liquid solution that is sprayed or atomized into the air stream. The liquid solution can be water or a mixture of water and chemicals, depending on the type of contaminant that needs to be removed. As the gas stream flows through the scrubber vessel, the droplets capture the contaminants, which are then separated from the gas stream and collected in a liquid solution.

There are many types of wet scrubbers, including spray towers, venturi scrubbers, and packed bed scrubbers. Spray towers are the simplest type of wet scrubber and are typically used for low to medium pollutant concentrations. They consist of a vertical container with a nozzle on top that sprays liquid into an air stream. The airflow then flows downward and the droplets capture the contaminants. Venturi scrubbers are more complex and are used for higher pollutant concentrations. They used a constriction in the wash vessel to increase the velocity of the airflow, which creates a pressure drop that draws the contaminants into the liquid solution. Packed bed scrubbers use a bed of packing material, such as plastic or ceramic, to increase the surface area of the gas stream in contact with the liquid solution, thereby increasing the efficiency of pollutant capture.

Wet scrubbers are effective at removing a wide range of pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). They are especially effective at removing water soluble or high boiling point contaminants.

In addition to their effectiveness, wet scrubbers have several other advantages over other air pollution control technologies. First, they are relatively easy to install and operate, requiring only a liquid source and a fan power supply. Second, they can be customized to meet the specific needs of different industries and applications, such as using different types of liquid solutions or packaging materials. Third, they can be used in conjunction with other air pollution control technologies, such as electrostatic precipitators or fabric filters, to further increase pollutant capture efficiency.

However, wet scrubbers also have some disadvantages. First, they consume large amounts of water, which can be a problem in areas with water scarcity or high water prices. Second, the liquid solutions used in wet scrubbers can be contaminated with contaminants and must be disposed of or treated properly before use. Third, wet scrubbers can be expensive to operate and maintain, especially if they are used with high concentrations of pollutants or require specialized equipment or chemicals.

Despite these drawbacks, wet scrubbers remain a popular air pollution control technology, especially in industries with high concentrations of pollutants or where other technologies are ineffective. They are also increasingly used in emerging industries such as cannabis cultivation to control odors and prevent the release of harmful chemicals into the environment.

Wet scrubbers are an effective air pollution control technology that uses liquid solutions to capture pollutants from industrial and commercial exhaust streams. It is widely used in many industries and can be customized to meet the specific needs of different applications. Although wet scrubbers have several advantages over other air pollution control technologies, they also have some disadvantages. Wet scrubbers have limited treatment efficiency. If the desired purification efficiency is higher, they need to be paired with other filtration equipment in parallel.