In a wet scrubber, the polluted gas stream is brought into contact with the scrubbing liquid, by spraying it with the liquid, by forcing it through a pool of liquid, or by some other contact method, so as to remove the pollutants.
Advantages of Wet Scrubber
Small space requirements: Scrubbers reduce the temperature and volume of the unsaturated exhaust stream.
Smaller sizes result in lower capital costs and more flexibility in site location of the scrubber.
Disadvantages of Wet Scrubber
Corrosion problems: Water and dissolved pollutants can form highly corrosive acid solutions.
Water-disposal problems: Settling ponds or sludge clarifiers may be needed to meet waste-water regulations.
Difficult product recovery: Dewatering and drying of scrubber sludge make recovery of any dust for reuse very expensive and difficult.