What are Ammonia Scrubbers, and How Do They Work?
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. A colorless gas with the formula NH3, ammonia has a pungent smell. Industrial ammonia is sold as either an ammonia liquor or as a pressurized and/or refrigerated anhydrous liquid ammonia transported in Ammonia Scrubber tanks, cars, or cylinders. Ammonia is found in foods, fertilizers, pharmaceutical products, and commercial clean products. It is estimated that nearly 90% of ammonia is used as fertilizers. When applied to soil, it helps provide increased yields of crops specifically corn and wheat. As a cleaner, NH3 is mixed with water to make ammonium hydroxide which makes a general-purpose cleaner for many surfaces. Common surfaces cleaned with ammonia include glass, porcelain, ovens, and stainless steel resulting in a relatively streak-free shine. Ammonia is also used in a technology called a SCR (selective catalytic reduction), which is used to scrub NOx during the burning of fossil fuels.
The most effective way to abate ammonia is with a specialized ammonia scrubber. An ammonia scrubber is a specialized wet scrubber, that is specifically designed to remove harmful ammonia and particulates from industrial exhaust streams. It works by funneling the ammonia laden exhaust stream through the bottom of a packed tower, which sprays a solution from specialized nozzles. This chemical solution is carefully chosen to react with the ammonia in the exhaust stream, and is very often a 93% Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4); this solution often achieves the best DRE, and keeps costs lower. Although Ammonia is not a Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP), it is regulated as a precursor to PM2.5 and PM10 Criteria Air Pollutants. This is because it reacts with acid gas pollutants, to form respective ammonium salts in the atmosphere (such as ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate).
Why Choose an Ammonia Scrubber?
- Can handle high temperature streams
- Versatile
- Processes high moisture streams
- Smaller space requirements
- Can be retrofitted into current equipment (in some cases)
- Provides cooling of heated gases
- Higher removal capabilities than other equipment
- Lower cost of purchase
- Can remove gases and particulates, in a single unit
- Able to neutralize highly corrosive gases and dusts
- No secondary dust source
- No temperature limits
- Can handle highly flammable dusts, with very little risk of explosion
- Several customizable options, based on specific output and applications, often allowing for a reduction in cost.
Possible Disadvantages:
- Higher risk of corrosive issues, due to nature of operations, with flowing water
- Disposal of waste and media can incur higher costs
Features & Options
- Competitive packages including instrumentation and controls, skid mounting of equipment, acid storage tanks, metering pumps and installation
- Vertical and horizontal configuration
- Efficiencies up to 99.99%
- Capacities of 50 to 75,000+ SCFM
- Cross-flow and counter-flow options
- Custom designed systems
- Options to be retrofitted with current equipment
- Media options
- Faster commissioning time
- Continuous monitoring with Gulfstar
- In-house designed and manufactured control panels
- Sized system process fans
- Optional ammonia recovery solutions
Commonly used in these industries:
- Asphalt processing
- Medical
- Landfills and Biogas
- Coating
- Textile Processing
- Tar Removal
- Curing ovens
- Vinyl Manufacturing
- Acid mist control
- Fertilizer Manufacturing
- Wastewater treatment
- Steel Processing
- Electronics
- Food processing
- Cocoa Processing
- Nuclear Waste filtration
- Printing
- Precious metal recovery
- Etching
- Wood Products
Gulf Coast Environmental Systems offers multiple design solutions to best fit the operational parameters of its customers. In some cases, the desire is for a lower capital investment for a higher operating cost for those systems that do not need to run continuously, or the need may be for a slightly higher capital investment with a lower operating cost for those systems that do need to run continuously. The designs include single stage solutions, as well as multistage options. GCES also offers complete integrated solutions with other air purification systems, such as thermal oxidizers, carbon adsorption systems, or filtration packages. Gulf Coast Environmental Systems is a single source solution for highly durable and efficient packed bed scrubbers.