ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

WATER SUPPLY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING M.SC. PROGRAM

WASTE WATER TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT -1

AIR STRIPPING AND GAS TRANSFER

By ASHENAFI ZINABIE (Add) GSR/1340/08

Submitted to; To: - Dr. Ing'r. GASHAW.Y Jul 8 /2017
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Contents
1. Air Stripping............................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 What Is Air Stripping? ..................................................................................................................... 1
2. Process Description ................................................................................................................................ 2
3. How Does Air stripping Work?................................................................................................................. 3
4. Why Use Air Stripping? ......................................................................................................................... 5
5. Types of Air Strippers ............................................................................................................................ 5
1. Low-profile sieve tray........................................................................................................................... 5
2. Diffused-aeration ................................................................................................................................. 5
3. Packed-column ..................................................................................................................................... 6
6. Comparison of air strippers ................................................................................................................... 7
7. Performance of VOC removal equipment ............................................................................................... 9
8. Design Considerations .......................................................................................................................... 10
9. Ammonia removal by air stripping ..................................................................................................... 12
References .................................................................................................................................................. 15

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Air stripping system -------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
Figure 2. Cross-sectional area of perforated plate section. ----------------------------------------------5

Figure 3 Diffused aeration air stripper----------------------------------------------------------------------6

Figure 4 Packed column air stripper------------------------------------------------------------------------7

Figure 5 effect of initial PH on removal of ammonia in bubble aeration air stripping -------------13

Figure 6 effect of air flow on removal of ammonia in bubble aeration air stripping ---------------14

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1. Air Stripping
1.1 What Is Air Stripping?
Air stripping is a process by which a liquid, usually wastewater, is brought into intimate contact
with a gas, usually air, so that some undesirable volatile substances present in the liquid phase can
be released and carried away by the gas. Processes such as mechanical surface aeration, diffused
aeration, spray fountains, spray or tray towers, and countercurrent packed towers are encompassed
by the term air stripping. These procedures produce a condition in which a large surface area of
the water to be treated is exposed to air, which promotes transfer of the contaminant from the liquid
phase to the gaseous phase.
Air strippers are very popular equipment for mass transfer where air and water are contacted and
the contaminants are transferred from water into the air phase. In a typical air-stripper arrangement,
water flows from the top and air is blown from the bottom. The increase in surface area between
the air and the water phases increases the removal efficiency. In packed towers, high-surface-area
packing materials are used to that end. In a sieve tray tower, water flows across the tray through
channels separated by baffles and air flows from the bottom, up through holes in the tray. In
diffused aerators, air is introduced through a bubbler or a nozzle into the water stream. All these
units are commercially available.

Air stripping is a physical mass transfer process and is generally considered as the best available
technology for many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in contaminated groundwater.
Air stripping uses relatively clean air to remove contaminant VOCs dissolved in water and
transfers the contaminants into the gaseous phase. In drinking water treatment, the air stripping
concept has actually been employed for a long time and was often referred to also as aeration and
degasification. There are various aeration options that have been used in water treatment for quite
some time. There are several technologies used in the VOC removal from contaminated water
namely: Packed towers or air stripping towers, low profile sieve tray towers, and diffused aeration
systems.

Air stripping involves the mass transfer of VOCs that are dissolved in water from the water phase to
the air phase. A one-dimensional mass transfer equation is used to describe the mass transfer flux of
VOCs transferring from the water phase to the air phase. The equilibrium relationship is linear and is

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defined by Henry's Law. This mass transfer can be accomplished in a packed-column, a low-profile,
or a diffused-air air stripper.

A process that removes or “strips” volatile organic compounds from contaminated water by
contacting clean air with contaminated water across a high surface area, causing the volatile
compounds to move from the water into the air. Process is governed by Henry’s Law.

Counter-current flow means the cleanest air contacts the cleanest water. This ensures efficient
mass transfer throughout the entire flow path.

Figure 1 Air stripping system

2. Process Description
The process consists of counter-current flow of water and air through a packing material. The
packed tower consists of a cylindrical drum equipped with a gas inlet and distributing space at the
bottom; a liquid inlet and distributor at the top; gas and liquid outlets at top and bottom,
respectively; and a supported mass of inert solid shapes, called tower packing (Figure 1). In the
traditional system, water is pumped to the top of the tower, and is allowed to flow down over the
inert packing, while air is pumped countercurrent from the bottom of the tower. The contaminants
of interest such as ammonia or volatile organic compounds (VOC) are stripped out of the water
into the air stream. In practice, two methods are used to achieve contact between phases so that
mass transfer can occur: (1) continuous contact and (2) staged contact. Different flow patterns used

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in practice include countercurrent, co-current and cross-flow. The most common flow pattern is
countercurrent mode.

3. How Does Air stripping Work?

Air stripping uses either an air stripper or aeration tank to force air through contaminated water
and evaporate VOCs. The most common type of air stripper is a packed-column air stripper, which
is a tall tank filled with pieces of plastic, steel, or ceramic packing material.

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Contaminated water is pumped above ground and into the top of the tank and sprayed over the top
of the packing material. The water trickles downward through the spaces between the packing
materials, forming a thin film of water that increases its exposure to air blown in at the bottom of
the tank. A sieve-tray air stripper is similar in design but contains several trays with small holes.
As water flows across the trays, a fan at the bottom blows air upwards through the holes, increasing
air exposure. Aeration tanks are another type of design that remove VOCs by bubbling air into a
tank of contaminated water.

Rising air and vapors accumulate at the top of the air stripper or aeration tank where they are
collected for release or treatment. Treated water flows to the bottom, where it is collected and
tested to make sure it meets cleanup requirements. The water may be further treated, if necessary,
to achieve required levels. Clean water may be pumped back underground, into local surface
waters, or to the municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Aeration tanks are typically shorter than packed-column or sieve-tray air strippers. The size and
type of air stripper used will depend on the types and amounts of contaminants as well as the
quantity of water requiring treatment.

Some physical elements of Air Stripping

• Temperature affects the process – higher temperature = better stripping

• Process temperature is roughly equal to water temperature; air temperature not a big factor

• Freezing is not a concern for continuous operation

• Discharged air is saturated (high humidity) at the process temperature, so consider

condensation and thermal impacts if air treatment is planned

How Long Will It Take?

The flow of water through an air stripper or aeration tank may take only a few minutes, depending
on the size of the device and the rate of water flow through it. However, cleanup of all the
contaminated water at a site can take several months to years. The actual cleanup time will depend
on several factors. For example, it will take longer where:

• Contaminant concentrations are high or the source of dissolved contaminants has not been
completely removed.

• The amount of water requiring treatment is large.

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• Groundwater cannot be pumped at a fast rate.

• Buildup of mineral deposits or algae on the packing material require frequent removal.

These factors vary from site to site.

4. Why Use Air Stripping?

Air stripping is an effective way of removing VOCs from contaminated water and is commonly
used as part of groundwater pump and treat systems at sites around the country. Air strippers can
be brought to the site eliminating the need to pump contaminated water for offsite treatment.

5. Types of Air Strippers

1. Low-profile sieve tray
Low-profile air strippers operate in a similar way to packed-column air strippers (Figure 1). The
difference is that the water flows across trays that are perforated with small holes, over a weir to
the next lower tray, tray by tray until the water exits the bottom of the stripper. Air is bubbled
through holes in the trays. The VOCs are transferred from the water phase to the air phase as the
air is bubbled through the water on the trays.

Figure (2). Cross-sectional area of perforated plate section.

2. Diffused-aeration
A diffused-aeration air stripper is a vessel with air diffusers in the bottom of the vessel. Air from
the diffusers rises through the water and exits at the top of the vessel. The contaminated water to

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be air stripped enters the top of the vessel and exits at the bottom. Transfer of the VOCs from the
water to the air occurs as the bubbles rise through the water. Transfer of the VOCs from the water
to the air can be improved by increasing the vessel depth and by producing smaller bubbles. This
kind of air stripper is not as efficient as the other two kinds and is not used as often. Its main
advantages are its simplicity, ability to handle high suspended solids, and resistance to fouling.

Figure 3 Diffused aeration air stripper

3. Packed-column
A packed-column air stripper consists of a cylindrical column that contains an open-structured
packing material (Figure 3). The water containing the VOCs enters the top of the column and flows
down through packing material. At the same time, air flows up through the column (countercurrent
flow). As the water and air pass each other, the VOCs are transferred from the water phase to the
air phase. The water phase leaves the bottom of the column with most of the VOCs removed. The
VOCs that are now in the air phase exit from the top of the column.

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Figure (4) Packed column air stripper

6. Comparison of air strippers

General: The advantages and disadvantages of each type of stripper should be considered when
making a selection. Either packed column or low profile air stripper will work in most situations,
and are used extensively, but one may be more appropriate for the particular application. Diffused
aeration strippers are less efficient for most applications, but their simplicity, ability to handle
higher suspended solids, and better resistance to fouling are advantages. It may be necessary to do
an economic analysis to help make the decision. Institutional factors, such as height restrictions or
architectural restrictions, may require that a low profile air stripper be chosen even if a packed
column stripper is more cost effective.
Efficiency: Packed column and low profile air strippers are capable of removing more than 99%
of most VOC contaminants. Increasing the depth of the packing or the number of trays will
increase the stripping. Increasing the airflow through a packed column may increase the efficiency.
However, increasing the airflow beyond a certain point will induce a high pressure drop and will
cause flooding.
Fouling: Air strippers frequently become fouled by mineral deposits when calcium exceeds 40
mg/L, iron exceeds 0.3 mg/L, magnesium exceeds 10 mg/L, or manganese exceeds 0.05 mg/L, or
from biological growth. Air strippers may become plugged with solids that must be removed.
Packed column air strippers must either have the packing removed for cleaning or the packing
must be washed with an acid solution. Both operations are time consuming and costly. Low profile
air strippers are often desirable when fouling is expected. Low profile units are often fastened

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together, tray by tray. Small units can easily be dissembled to physically remove the biological or
mineral deposits. Larger units have access ports on the side of each tray for cleaning with a high-
pressure water spray. Pretreatment of the water prior to stripping is often required. Foaming control
agents may be required for some liquids.
Airflow Rate: The ratio of air to water flow rates is generally lower for a packed column stripper
than for a low profile air stripper for the same level of VOC removal. Packed column air strippers
are typically operated at 5 to 250 cfm/ft2 (1.5 to 76 (m3/min)/m2) of column cross sectional area
(Iowa State University, 1988) Low profile air strippers typically operate at 30 to 60 cfm/ft2 (9 to
18 (m3/min)/m2) of tray area. Thus, the tray area of a low profile air stripper will usually be much
larger than the tower cross-sectional area for the same treatment conditions. Low profile units are
designed to operate over a fairly narrow range of airflow rates. If the airflow rate is too high for a
low profile unit, the air blowing through the trays will form a jet and
Disperse most of the water. This results in low removal of the VOCs. If the airflow rate is too low,
the water will flow down through the holes in the sieve trays. If the water flow rate decreases to a
sieve tray as the result of changed operating conditions, the airflow rate through a low profile
stripper cannot be reduced correspondingly, as it will be outside the operating range specified by
the manufacturer. The cost of treating the off- gas will not be decreased in proportion with the
liquid loading. Packed column air strippers can operate over a wide range of Airflow rates. The
advantage of this is that, if the water flow rate to the column decreases, the airflow rates can also
be decreased. This will reduce the cost of treating the off- gas.
Water Flow Rate: In contrast to the airflow rate, the flow rate of water through a sieve tray unit
will be between 1 and 15 gpm/ft2 (0.04 to 0.6 (m3/min)/m2). Packed column strippers operate
most efficiently over a narrow range of water flows, between 20 to 45 gpm/ft2 (0.8 to 1.8
(m3/min)/m2) of tower cross-sectional area manufacturer usually designs sieve tray air strippers.
Items such as the length, location, and height of the overflow weirs, weir geometry, clearance
under the down comer, fractional hold area, etc., are very important and must be designed by a
manufacturer who is experienced with sieve tray columns. Additional trays can be added to many
low profile air strippers if additional treatment is needed and the blower and motor are capable of
handling the additional pressure drop from additional trays. Combining the airflow rate and the
water flow rate results in an air-to water ratio as low as 30 to as high as several hundred (volume
to volume) for sieve tray units.

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Pressure Drop and Power Consumption. The pressure drop through the packing of a packed
tower air stripper is often lower than the pressure drop through a comparable low profile unit. This
allows a smaller blower and motor, with reduced electrical operating costs.

7. Performance of VOC removal equipment

The stripping of various chemicals from water depends on the properties of a chemical, such as
vapor pressure, solubility, density and the molecular weight of the chemical. Henry's Law
describes the stripping of various chemicals. It states that the amount of chemicals present in air
(transferred from water) is directly proportional to its equilibrium concentration in the water. The
chemicals that have low solubility and are present in low concentrations in water obey Henry's
Law. It is also assumed the solution (or the mixture) is ideal.
The constant is expressed in different units. The most common units are atmosphere-mol/mol or
simply atm, or unit less (the ratio of the mole fraction of the chemical in air to the mole fraction of
the chemical in water). Other units in which Henry's Law constant can be expressed, and the
conversions, are presented in Table below.

Table Henry's Law constants conversion factors

Stripping Theory
The ratio of the contaminant at equilibrium in the liquid phase, CL, to the contaminant in the
gaseous phase, CG, is a relationship known as Henry’s law:

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Where H is Henry’s constant. Henry’s constant is a property of the solute/solvent system and the
temperature, and follows Van’t Hoff’s relationship.

2
Where H° = enthalpy change resulting from the dissolution of the compound in water;
R = the universal gas constant;
T = the absolute temperature; and
k = a compound dependent constant
The general form of the equation for the rate of mass transfer across the gas-liquid
Interface in a gas stripper is given by the equation:

3
Where V = the liquid volume, m3;
m = the mass of the solute, kg;
t = time, s;
KL = the overall liquid mass transfer coefficient, m/s;
a = the specific interfacial area, m2/m3;
CL = the bulk average concentration in the liquid phase, kg/m3;
CL = the liquid concentration in equilibrium with the gas phase concentration, CG, Kg/m3; and
KLa = the transfer rate constant.
The rate constants for the local liquid and gas phase transfers, kL and kG, respectively, are related
to the overall transfer rate constant by

8. Design Considerations
Stripping towers have diameters of 0.5 to 3 m and heights of 1 to 15 m. The height of the packed
tower will affect the removal efficiency of the contaminant. The desired rate of flow of the liquid
to be treated will determine the diameter of the air stripping column. The type of packing material
will have an impact on the mass transfer rate, because the surface area of the packing provides the

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air-to-water interfacial area. The air-to-water ratio ranges from as low as 5 to several hundred and
is controlled by flooding and pressure drop considerations. The ratio of air-to-water flow through
the air stripper will control the removal rate of the contaminant. An increase in the air-to-water
ratio will usually result in greater removal rates, up to a point at which entrainment of the liquid
by the air flow occurs, resulting in a sharp increase in the air pressure drop through the stripping
column. This phenomenon is known as flooding. The opposite condition occurs when the liquid
flow rate is increased until the tower begins to fill with liquid. This is also referred to as flooding.
The pressure drop in the tower should be between 200 to 400 N/m2 per meter of tower height to
avoid flooding. The designer must choose a gas velocity far enough from flooding velocity to
ensure safe operation.
The flooding velocity depends on the type and size of packing and liquid mass velocity. Lowering
the design velocity increases the tower diameter without much change in required height, since
lower gas and liquid velocities lead to a proportional reduction in mass-transfer rate. Channeling
occurs when water flows down the tower wall rather than through the packing. Distribution plates
must be placed approximately every 5 to 10 m in the tower immediately above each packing
section to avoid this. Channeling is severe in towers filled with stacked packing than in dumped
packings. Using a smaller size packing will reduce the tendency of flow to channel. In towers of
moderate size channeling can be minimized by having diameter of the tower at least 8 times the
packing diameter. A packing material that offers a large surface area for mass transfer will usually
present more resistance to countercurrent air flow, causing a higher gas pressure drop. Different
materials offer better resistance to corrosively, encrustation, or unfavorable water conditions.
Initial packing material selection can be made with one offering a very low gas pressure drop that
allows an increase in removal efficiency.
Air stripping is the process of moving air through contaminated groundwater or surface water in
an above-ground treatment system. Air stripping removes chemicals called “volatile organic
compounds” or “VOCs.” VOCs are chemicals that easily evaporate, which means they can change
from a liquid to a vapor (a gas). The air passing through contaminated water helps evaporate VOCs
faster. After treating the water, the air and chemical vapors are collected, and the vapors are either
removed or vented outside if VOC levels are low enough.

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9. Ammonia removal by air stripping

Air stripping is a process by which a liquid, usually water or wastewater, is brought into intimate
contact with a gas, usually air, so that some undesirable substances present in the liquid phase can
be released and carried away by the gas.
In the past, the major objectives of wastewater treatment were the removal of SS (suspended solids),
BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), and coliform bacteria. It is only very recently that the removal
of inorganic nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, has been brought into focus. This is
because it has been realized that the discharge of these nutrients into surface waters can result in
excessive growths of algae and other aquatic plants, a phenomenon commonly referred to as
“eutrophication.”
Municipal wastewater and many industrial wastes are among the principal contributors of these
nutrients to surface waters. For example, the average concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus
in typical domestic wastewater are, respectively, about 35–45 mg/L as N and 10–15 mg/L as P.
Yet, nutrient concentrations of as low as 0.3–0.5 mg/L of nitrogen and 0.01–0.05 mg/L of
phosphorus have been reported to cause eutrophication. Therefore, to eliminate this problem, a
high efficiency of nutrient removal in the waste treatment process must be achieved. Conventional
waste treatment processes are effective in removing only about 40–50% of the nitrogen and 25–
30% of the phosphorus. Therefore, new treatment technologies must supplement conventional
methods in order to improve the nutrient removal efficiencies.
Ammonia stripping is a simple desorption process used to lower the ammonia content of a
wastewater stream. Some wastewaters contain large amounts of ammonia and/or nitrogen-
containing compounds that may readily form ammonia. It is often easier and less expensive to
remove nitrogen from wastewater in the form of ammonia than to convert it to nitrate-nitrogen
before removing it.

Ammonia (a weak base) reacts with water (a weak acid) to form ammonium hydroxide. In
ammonia stripping, lime or caustic is added to the wastewater until the pH reaches 10.8 to 11.5
standard units which converts ammonium hydroxide ions to ammonia gas according to the
following reaction(s):
NH4+ + OH− NH3 + H2O
The efficiency of an ammonia stripping operation depends primarily on five factors:

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1. pH: As shown in Fig. 1, the relative distribution of the dissolved NH3 gas vs the NH4+ ions
in true solution depends greatly on pH. Because only the dissolved gas can be removed from
solution, it is important to raise the pH to a value of 11 or higher so that at least 95% of the
ammonia nitrogen is converted to the gas form. In full-scale operation, lime is usually the most
economical, and thus is the most commonly used material for raising the pH. The amount of
lime required to raise the pH depends on the characteristics of the water, primarily its
bicarbonate concentration.

Figure 5 effect of initial PH on removal of ammonia in bubble aeration air stripping

2. Temperature: The liquid temperature can affect the ammonia stripping efficiency in two
different ways. First, at a given pH, the percentage of ammonia nitrogen present as a dissolved gas
increases with temperature. For example, at pH 10, at a temperature of 40°C about 95% of the
ammonia nitrogen is present as the gas, but at 0°C only about 50% is present in the gaseous form.
Second, the solubility of ammonia gas in water increases with decreasing temperature. The greater
the solubility, the greater the amount of air required to remove a given amount of ammonia gas.
3. Rate of Gas Transfer: In order to remove ammonia from water, the dissolved NH3 molecules
must first move from the bulk liquid solution to the air–water interface, and then from the interface
to the stripping air flow.

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4. Air Supply Rate: Because the difference in the ammonia pressures between the liquid and
gaseous phases is the force for ammonia to transfer from the liquid to the air flow, an sufficient
supply of air flow through the ammonia tower will dilute the concentration of the ammonia
released thereby reducing its partial pressure in the gaseous phase and maximizing the ammonia
release rate.
5. Hydraulic Loading Rate: The hydraulic loading rate on the stripping tower can affect the
ammonia removal in two ways. First, for a fixed tower depth, the larger the hydraulic loading rate,
the shorter is the air–water contact period. Below a certain critical contact time the ammonia-
stripping efficiency will be reduced drastically. Second, for a given internal packing configuration,
if the hydraulic loading rate is too high, it may cause sheeting of the water, which reduces the
intensity of droplet formation, thus decreasing the ammonia-stripping efficiency. For most
ammonia-stripping operations, using a 6–7 m (20–24 ft) tower with an internal packing of 3.8 × 5
cm (1.5 × 2 in.), a hydraulic loading rate between 0.04 and 0.12 m3/min/m2 is recommended.

Figure 6 effect of air flow on removal of ammonia in bubble aeration air stripping

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References
 WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES - Air Stripping in
Industrial Wastewater Treatment - A. Srinivasan, P. Chowdhury, T. Viraraghavan
 Design Guide No. 1110-1-3. (2001). Engineering and Design air stripping. Department of
the army, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC 20314-1000. [This design
guide provides design and construction information for implementation of air stripping
systems].
 M. Kavanaugh and R. Trussell, Design of aeration towers to strip volatile contaminants
from drinking water. J. Am. Water Works Assc. 72, 684 (1980).
 P. Roberts and J. Levy, Energy requirements for air stripping trihalomethanes. J. Am. Water
Works Assc. 77(4), 138 (1985).
 B. R. Ball and M. D. Edwards, Air stripping VOCs from groundwater: Process design
considerations. Enviorn. Prog. 11(1), 39 (1992).
 USEPA, “Wastewater technology fact sheet ammonia stripping,” EPA 832-F-00-019 US
Environmental Protec-tion Agency, Washington, D. C., 2000.

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