AIR STRIPPING

The removal of volatile

contaminants from water
and contaminated soils
Air Stripping Tower Use
Air
Stripping
Towers
Some column internals

Clockwise from
top left:
Packing,
bubble caps,
mist eliminator,
sieve tray
Case Study:
TCE Contaminated
Site Remediation
 Henry’s Law
Henry's Law states that the amount of a gas that dissolves
into a liquid is proportional to the partial pressure that gas
exerts on the surface of the liquid. In equation form, that
is:

CA = KH pA
where,
CA = concentration of A, [mol/L] or [mg/L]
KH = equilibrium constant (Henry's Law
constant), [mol/L-atm] or [mg/L-atm]
pA = partial pressure of A, [atm]

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry's_law

 Example: Solubility of O2 in Water

Although the atmosphere we breathe is comprised of

approximately 20.9 percent oxygen, oxygen is only
slightly soluble in water. In addition, the solubility
decreases as the temperature increases. Thus,
oxygen availability to aquatic life decreases during the
summer months when the biological processes which
consume oxygen are most active. Summer water
temperatures of 25 to 30°C are typical for many
surface waters in the U.S. Henry's Law constant for
oxygen in water is 61.2 mg/L-atm at 5°C and
40.2 mg/L-atm at 25°C. What is the solubility of
oxygen at 5°C and at 25°C?
 Solution O2 Solubility Example
At 50C the solubility is:
mg
CO2 (5 C) = KH,O2 PO2 = 61.2 x 0.209 atm
L- atm
mg
CO2 (5 C) = 12.8
L
At 250C the solubility is:
mg
CO2 (25 C) = KH,O2 PO2 = 40.2 x 0.209 atm
L- atm
mg
CO2 (25 C) = 8.40
L
 Air Stripping Example

An air stripping tower, similar to that shown, is

to be used to remove dissolved carbon dioxide
gas from a groundwater supply. If the
tower lowers the level to twice the equilibrium
concentration, what amount of dissolved gas
will remain in the water after treatment? The
partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere is 10-3.7 atm.

Example 4.2 from Ray

 Solution Air Stripping Example

Henry's Law constant for carbon dioxide = 1.14L/L

Divide by RT, i.e. 1.14/(0.083x288) = 0.048 =10-1.3
mol L-1atm-1 The equilibrium solubility is then:

-1.3 mole -3.7

CCO2 = K H,CO2 pCO2 = 10 10 atm
L- atm
3
-5 -5
mole 44 g 10 mg
CCO2 = 10 M = 10 x x
L mole g
CCO2 = 0.44 mg/L
Answer = 0.9 mg/L CO2
Two-film partitioning in gas-liquid

ys* Bulk Cs* Bulk

liquid
Bulk liquid
gas ys Cb
Cs
Cb
yb yb

Cs ys
Bulk
gas ys*
Cs*

Stripping Absorption
Mass transfer calculations

Henry’s law applies because of equilibrium at interface:

ys = HCs

Fick’s law applies: flux is proportional to the driving force

JA = kL(Cb – Cs) – kg(ys – yb)

Relationship of transfer coefficients
Another approach is that all the resistance
to transfer is in the liquid phase, so
yb = HC*s
Alternatively all the resistance to transfer
could be in the gas phase, so
ys* = HCb
Mass flux based on water phase, substitutions, and
applying Henry’s law to liquid concentrations leads to
1/KLa = 1/kLa + 1/Hkga

Similarly 1/KGa = H/kLa + 1/kga