Conversion of Acid Wet Scrubber to Smart Wet Scrubber for EtO removal
At Tomoe Asia (TMAC) in Chonburi, Thailand, Trevi upgraded an existing acid wet scrubber to its innovative smart wet scrubber technology, eliminating the use of acid while maintaining extremely high ethylene oxide (EtO) removal efficiencies.
Challenge
In 2018, Trevi designed and installed a three-stage acid wet scrubber at Tomoe Asia in Chonburi, Thailand, for the removal of ethylene oxide (EtO) from sterilisation chamber exhaust air. The installation achieved a removal efficiency of 99.9999%.
In 2022, Trevi’s R&D division developed the smart wet scrubber: an innovative solution that eliminates the need for acid as scrubbing liquid for EtO removal, while maintaining the same high removal efficiency.
The challenge was to convert the existing acid wet scrubber into a smart wet scrubber with minimal modifications, while ensuring continuous high performance under industrial operating conditions.
Solution
After extensive research and a successful pilot test, the first stage of the existing acid wet scrubber was reworked in 2023 into Trevi’s smart wet scrubber technology at the TMAC site.
Through smart engineering, only limited adjustments were required. By modifying the existing piping and installing an external reactor vessel, the scrubber could be efficiently converted.
Following a successful testing period, stages 2 and 3 were also upgraded in 2024. Two additional external reactor vessels were installed. From that moment onwards, the entire installation operated as a full smart scrubber system, using only water as scrubbing liquid.
Result
The reworked installation consistently demonstrated very high EtO removal efficiencies throughout all testing phases, confirming the reliability of the new technology.
Outlet concentrations remained below 10 ppb, reaching detection limits. The first stage already achieved removal efficiencies exceeding 99.99%.
Even under full industrial operating conditions, the smart scrubber maintained stable and reliable performance, confirming its efficiency and low-maintenance design.
