2018 | Chile | Guillermo Varela Cárdenas , Pablo Oyarzo Vera

Wet Scrubbers: A Key Tool Against Air Pollution Caused by Wood-Burning Household Stoves

Water issue adressed: Too dirty
Wet Scrubber

Wood stoves are a major source of air pollution in both Chile’s capital Santiago and some cities in the country’s south. A wood stove can emit up to PM 10 μg/m3 (equivalent to the air pollution caused by 1,500 new cars). This problem is often compounded by the widespread use of highly-polluting wet wood.

The role played by water in reducing atmospheric CO2 is well known. Rain, for example, dissolves CO2 into bicarbonate, an ion which in lakes and rivers binds with certain anions to form carbonates.

We designed a system capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions based on water recirculation. This process dissolves unwanted gases and converts them into carbonic acid, an easily-handled, weak, and environmentally-safe aqueous solution.

This is how I came up with the idea for this project:

After noting the rates of air pollution in southern Chile, including our hometown Quellón, we designed a filtration system capable of reducing the pollution of wood stoves based on wet scrubbers, a technology used in the mining industry. to reduce sulfur gas emissions.

General Goal, Specific Goal and Working Hypothesis

General Goal Find ways to combat air pollution caused by carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, butadiene and formaldehyde emissions using a system of basic filters (i.e., a wet scrubber). Specific Goal Design a pump and filter system collecting CO2 emissions from wood stoves through recirculation of water in flush towers that dissolve CO2 into carbonic acid. Working Hypothesis Dissolving carbon dioxide through recirculating water is an effective option to reduce wood stove emissions.

Potencial

Enable wood-burning stove use in areas currently restricted for environmental reasons, notably in Santiago and southern Chile.

Bibliography

http://comquima.com/que-is-a-scrubber/ http://www.equiposylaboratorio.com/sitio/contenidos_mo.php?it=3140 https://condorchem.com/is/lavadores-de-gases-scrubbers/ http://www.atmosferis.com/scrubber/ http://reportescomunales.bcn.cl/2015/index.php/Quellón http://chimeneaschile.blogspot.cl/2011/04/las-chimeneas-lena-son-un-problema-mayor.html http://www.mma.gob.cl/1304/w3-article-56761.html http://www.nationalgeographic.is/medio-ambiente/la-contaminacion-del-aire http://portal.mma.gob.cl/abren-convocatoria-para-recambio-de-calefactores-a-lena-en-osorno/

CONTACT WATERTANK

Ania Andersch

Programme manager ania.andersch@siwi.org +46 8 121 360 59