VOC absorption in a countercurrent packed-bed column using water/silicone oil mixtures: Influence of silicone oil volume fraction

A calculation procedure to determine the influence of the silicone volume fraction on the physical absorption of VOCs in water/silicone oil mixtures is presented (ηsilicone oil = 5 mPa s). It is based on the “equivalent absorption capacity” concept previously developed by Dumont et al. (2010) [1] and applied to a countercurrent gas–liquid absorber. The calculation procedure is first applied to three VOCs: dimethylsulphide (DMS), dimethyldisulphide (DMDS) and toluene, and then generalised to other VOCs. The influence of VOC partition coefficients (Hvoc,water and Hvoc,solvent) and the ratio mR = Hvoc,water/Hvoc,solvent is shown. For VOCs having a much higher affinity for silicone oil than for water (mR > 20 as for DMDS and toluene), it is preferable to use pure silicone oil rather than water/silicone oil mixtures for absorption.