Volatile organic compounds absorption in a structured packing fed with waste oils: Experimental and modeling assessments

International audience; Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) having different polarities were absorbed in two viscous waste oils (a transformer oil and a lubricant, whose viscosities are equal to 19 mPa s and 79 mPa s, respectively) in a structured packing (1 m height) operated at counter-current. A synthetic hydrophobic solvent (PDMS 20, a silicone oil) and water were also used as reference solvents. Removal efficiencies of hydrophobic VOCs in silicone and transformer oils up to 80-90% were measured. Nonetheless, owing to a higher viscosity, the removal efficiencies in the lubricant were significantly lower. A deconvolution procedure, based on the Higbie penetration theory, was developed to deduce the local mass transfer coefficients (k(L) and k(G)) from K(L)a degrees values. These local coefficients were compared to the predictions of the models of Billet-Schultes (BS) and Song-Seibert-Rochelle (SSR), allowing to conclude that the SSR model better addresses the influence of the viscosity on K(L)a degrees than the BS model.