Application of Sieve-Tray Air Strippers to the Treatment of Surfactant-Containing Wastewaters

Using sie®e-tray air stripping as a means of remo®ing contaminants from surfactant solutions was studied to determine if tray air stripping can be applied successfully to treating surfactant-containing wastewaters and, if so, to de®elop a quantitati®e approach for designing tray air-stripping systems for treating surfactant-containing wastewaters. High-concentration surfactant solutions were prepared and contaminated with fi®e different ®olatile organic compounds. Remo®al of the organic compounds was e®aluated using a commercial sie®e-tray air stripper. O®erall, the air stripper was able to efficiently remo®e the contaminants from solution, and correction of Henry’s Law constants for micellar solubilization-induced ®olatility reduction allowed tray air-stripper design equations to quantitati®ely predict air-stripper remo®al for all contaminants. Foaming within the air stripper could be controlled with low concentrations of a silicone-polymer antifoaming agent. Although adding antifoaming agents may be undesirable for some applications, other applications can benefit from the operational and performance ad®antages of sie®e-tray air strippers. Issues related to air-stripper design for low-®olatility compounds are also discussed.