The global scrubber system market is estimated at USD 1,2 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12,8% to reach USD 1,86 billion by 2023. Today the maritime industry is beginning to shift its focus on ways to regulate harmful emissions that are released into the air or sea. In other words, the challenge that the marine industry faces is implementing new technologies and operational practices to observe the new regulations to reduce air and sea emissions. The adverse effects from the internal combustion engine and boiler exhaust gases can be extremely harmful to people and surrounding ecosystems thus the new purifying practices are particularly important.

The first wet air scrubber was designed to remove carbon dioxide from the air of an early submarine. Due to recent improvements in scrubbing systems, manufacturers have been able to decrease the sulfur content of fuel oil to a max of 0,1%. It is clear that by using wet scrubbers, companies can meet their environmental goals. There are two types of scrubbers: wet scrubbers and dry scrubbers. Additionally, there is “absorbing scrubbing” which helps to remove acid gases, and “mercury scrubbing” which is intended to remove mercury.

Wet air scrubbers utilize seawater or fresh water as the main scrubbing medium. However, seawater can remain untreated while fresh water will need to be chemically treated to function properly. Seawater wet scrubbers are typically open-loop types meaning the water is sourced and discharged from outside the system and water flows only once through the unit. Also, ships have the option to use closed-loop scrubbers which are when the water used will have to be treated, cleaned, and recycled back to the scrubbing system in a continuous closed-loop.

There are a variety of scrubbers on the market that are available to suit different vessel types, trading patterns, and local conditions. Purchasing, installation, and operational costs should always be considered on a vessel-specific basis, although wet air scrubbers have the potential for lower operating costs. With all the benefits scrubbers seem to be an ideal solution, but not all vessels are suitable for wet scrubbers, and therefore retrofitting is required. The price of retrofitting a single vessel is estimated to be around $4-6 million per ship.

The main benefit of switching to scrubbing systems is the value these systems have on their surrounding environment. The maritime industry will prevent a severe amount of damage by reducing the amount of sulfur in the air. Sulfur can cause severe environmental deaths around the globe and have the ability to cause thousands of problems such as acid rains which affect soil and water and create damage to biodiversity. Additionally, by utilizing wet air scrubbers, companies can continue their use of bunker fuel rather than switching to low-sulfur fuel. This enables them to avoid transitioning to a completely different fuel system.

One side effect of scrubbing is that the process only moves the unwanted substance from the exhaust gases into a liquid solution, solid paste, or powder form. This must be disposed of safely if it cannot be reused. Contamination from heavy metals found in scrubber wash water is expected to be a major challenge for the growth of the scrubber system market.

If you are looking for the best air treatment device to improve air quality, Redwood Technology offers a cutting-edge type of wet scrubber – a Multi-Vortex wet air scrubber.

Redwood technology is a fast-growing vendor of wet air scrubbers. The multi-vortex scrubber can remove gas emissions, dust, vapors, and other pollutants from a gas stream. It is an innovative technology created to save water that makes it more cost-efficient and differs from other types of scrubbers.  If you have any questions or would like to purchase a multi-vortex wet air scrubber, please contact us at info@rdwd.tech