ABSTRACT
Stripping is used to remove volatile dissolved materials from a waste stream by continuously contacting the waste with an inert gas (air or steam), increasing the waste temperature, or reducing the system pressure. Stripping removes all components which are more volatile than water, discharging them with the stripping gas and some water vapor. Because stripping involves desorption of volatile components from wastewaters, it is convenient to express the height of a transfer equation in terms of the liquid phase. Steam stripping effectiveness depends on the solubility and volatility of the wastewater components to achieve a concentrated disposal product. Since the overhead is a condensed water-organic product, the overhead “reject” stream must be a small fraction of the feed, and significantly more concentrated, for the treatment to be viable. This usually requires that vapor concentrations greater than 10% be exhausted from the feed plate.
