Advantages of wet dust collectors in the industry

Wet dust collectors are relatively inexpensive to manufacture. However, they are the ideal solution for removing dust containing moisture, as well as sticky and pungent odours, generated in industries such as chemical processing, paint spraying, glazing and pigment production. This is because they not only remove dust but also utilise water to eliminate some of the odours; in the case of harmful gases (such as small amounts of sulphur dioxide, hydrochloric acid mist, etc.), absorbents can be added to the wash water to neutralise them.

Disadvantages:

　　1. There is sludge from the washing process; the sludge and wastewater issues need to be resolved;

　　2. The equipment must be made of corrosion-resistant materials;

　　3. High power consumption;

　　4. In northern regions or cold climates, measures to protect equipment from freezing must be taken.

　　There are many types of wet dust collectors used in engineering. Broadly speaking, they can be divided into two categories: low-efficiency and high-efficiency. Low-efficiency wet dust collectors have a pressure drop of 0.2–1.5 kPa and include spray towers and cyclone scrubbers. Under normal operating conditions, their water consumption (liquid-to-gas ratio) is 0.5–3.0 litres per cubic metre, and their purification efficiency for particles larger than 10 micrometres can reach 90%–95%. High-efficiency wet scrubbers have a pressure drop of 2.5–9.0 kPa, with a purification efficiency of 99.5% or higher.

　　Wet scrubbers can effectively remove liquid or solid particles ranging in diameter from 0.1 to 20 micrometres from gas streams, whilst also removing some gaseous pollutants. They offer the advantages of a simple design, a small footprint, ease of operation and maintenance, and high purification efficiency. They are capable of handling high-temperature, high-humidity gas streams, thereby minimising the risk of fire or explosion. However, when using wet scrubbers, particular attention must be paid to issues such as equipment and ductwork corrosion, as well as the treatment of wastewater and sludge. The wet scrubbing process is also not conducive to the recovery of by-products. If the equipment is installed indoors, the risk of freezing during winter must also be taken into account.