Sulzer Stripping
Technology
Stripping units you can count on for improved performance
Our process specialists support you with optimally designed stripping columns tailored to your specific feed. We supply first-class components and equipment or entire turnkey plant solutions providing you with an excellent performance-to-cost ratio and guaranteed results.
Explore a comprehensive range of distillation technologies designed to optimize separation and performance across industries
Steam Stripping
Air Stripping
Inert Gas Stripping (Nitrogen/CO2)
The most common industrial method, especially for wastewater treatment and solvent recovery.
How it works: Live steam is injected directly into the bottom of the column. The steam reduces the partial pressure of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), allowing them to vaporize and be carried out the top.
Best for: Recovering alcohols, ketones, and hydrocarbons from aqueous streams where the steam can be easily condensed and separated.
Vacuum Stripping
Reboiled Stripping (Fractional Stripping)
Benefits/Applications
Stripping is a fundamental unit operation in fluid processing that serves to remove one or more lighter components from a liquid mixture. These components can be dissolved gases or lighter chemicals. The purpose of this process is typically to recover valuable products from a liquid phase or to remove pollutants from wastewater before secondary treatment.
Sulzer has extensive experience in the successful design of stripping systems, especially those combining a stripping step to remove solvents from wastewater with additional purification steps (such as distillation) to refine those solvents for reuse. Our pilot plants allow us to verify the stripping efficiency for even the most complex or foaming mixtures.
Main Benefits
Improved Performance
Optimized column internals ensure maximum mass transfer efficiency and increased throughput.
Reduced Energy Footprint
Design activities are supported by sophisticated computer simulations and in-house pilot plant testing to minimize steam or gas consumption
Vast Experience
Our deep know-how in the field of stripping, combined with an in-depth understanding of column hardware (packing and trays), ensures we provide the optimum solution for your specific chemistry.
Main Applications
Degassing
Remove lighter components from a liquid mixture, such as dissolved gases (CO2, H2S, NH3) or lighter chemicals.
Wastewater Treatment
Remove solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial wastewater to meet strict environmental discharge limits.
Chemical Recovery
Recover valuable chemical products from a liquid phase for circular reuse in the production cycle.
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PEMFlux™ - process emissions management
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Flyer
Smarter design that meets wastewater
discharge compliance
Overview
Achieve the strictest requirements with Sulzer’s PEMFlux™-W, a proven process emissions management solution designed specifically for the pharmaceutical industry. It goes beyond traditional steam stripping by delivering flexibility and reliability through a high-efficiency process.
2 pages
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Contact an expert
Our technical specialists are ready to help you find the optimal distillation solution for your specific application
Chris Lu
Head Soutions Development
"With over 20 years of experience in chemical industry and 15+ years on distillation systems design and troubleshooting, I'm here to help you maximize efficiency and achieve your process goals."
How distillation works (for both batch and continuous)
A step-by-step breakdown of the distillation process that enables precise separation of liquid mixtures
The contaminated liquid mixture (the "feed") is pumped to the top of the stripping column. It is often pre-heated to a specific temperature to increase the vapor pressure of the components we want to remove.
Feed
As the liquid flows downward due to gravity, the stripping agent (steam, air, or inert gas) is injected at the bottom and rises upward. This "counter-current" flow ensures that the cleanest stripping agent meets the cleanest liquid at the bottom, maximizing the efficiency of the separation.
Counter-Current Contact
To make the process efficient, the liquid and gas must touch as much as possible. We use Sulzer structured packing or high-performance trays inside the column to break the liquid into thin films or tiny droplets. This creates a massive surface area for the "stripping" action to occur.
High-Surface Interaction (Internals)
This is the core of the technology. The volatile molecules (solvents, gases, or organics) have a higher affinity for the gas phase than the liquid phase. Because the partial pressure of these contaminants is lower in the stripping gas, they "jump" from the liquid into the rising gas stream.
Mass Transfer
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The Overheads (Vapor): The stripping agent, now "loaded" with the removed contaminants, exits through the top of the column. It is then either condensed to recover the solvent or sent to a thermal oxidizer/scrubber.
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The Bottoms (Liquid): The purified liquid, now stripped of its volatile components, collects at the base of the column and is pumped out for reuse or safe discharge.
Phase Separation
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3D Model of Wastewater Stripper Plant
Pilot and test facilities
2
Swizerland and Singapore
Workshops
2
Swizerland and China
Turnaround and Tower field services
24/7
Repair, Maintenance and
Corrosion Protection
Sulzer Advantage
Proven Process Solution Provider for complex and challenging separations
Full Service Provider for proprietary process equipment and plant solutions, backed by guaranteed performance
Provide solutions from design to operation
Unique technology portfolio and extensive application know-how
Unique experience in combining unit operations
While both processes use vapor-liquid equilibrium, the fundamental difference lies in the driving force. Distillation relies on boiling the feed mixture to separate components based on their relative volatilities. Stripping uses an external stripping agent (like steam or air) to lower the partial pressure of the volatile components in the vapor phase, "pulling" them out of the liquid even at temperatures below the liquid's boiling point.
The choice depends on your goal for the removed components:
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Steam Stripping is ideal if you want to recover solvents. Since steam and solvents can be condensed together and then separated (e.g., in a decanter), it is the standard for circular economy applications.
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Air Stripping is typically used for environmental remediation of groundwater or wastewater where the contaminant concentrations are very low and the air can be safely exhausted or sent to a small carbon filter.
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Yes. For industrial wastewater containing solids, polymers, or minerals that cause scaling, Sulzer utilizes specialized column internals. Instead of standard fine-structured packing, we use high-performance trays (like our VGPlus™ trays) or grid packings designed with large openings to prevent clogging while maintaining high mass-transfer efficiency.
The largest energy cost is usually the generation of the stripping agent (steam). We optimize this through:
Feed/Bottoms Heat Exchange: Using the hot, purified liquid leaving the bottom of the column to pre-heat the incoming cold feed.
Vacuum Stripping: Operating at lower pressures to reduce the temperature required for volatile components to migrate into the gas phase.
High-Efficiency Internals: Using Mellapak™ structured packing to provide a higher surface area, which allows you to use a lower Steam-to-Liquid ($S/L$) ratio.
Our columns are custom-engineered to meet specific regulatory or process requirements. We commonly design systems that achieve 99% to 99.99% removal efficiency for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and dissolved gases, ensuring that the treated water meets even the strictest "Zero Liquid Discharge" (ZLD) or environmental discharge standards.
150+ Years Experience
Proven track record in chemical process engineering and equipment manufacturing.
Global Presence
Worldwide support network with local expertise and rapid response capabilities.
Quality Assurance
ISO certified processes and rigorous quality control for reliable, safe operations.