Industrial scrubbers remove pollutants from exhaust streams by

• A. Using a liquid wash to absorb or react with pollutants.
• B. Filtering particulates with a fibrous bed.
• C. Converting pollutants to harmless gases via catalytic cracking.
• D. Absorbing pollutants in solid adsorbent beds.

Answer: (A)

Wet scrubbers rely on bringing the polluted gas into contact with a liquid so the pollutants are removed by absorption or a chemical reaction in the liquid. Liquid washes dissolve gaseous pollutants like acid gases or react with them to form new, removable products, and they can also capture particulates carried in droplets. This liquid-based mechanism is what makes scrubbers effective for cleaning exhaust streams.

Filtering particulates with a fibrous bed is the job of fabric filters or baghouses, not scrubbers. Catalytic cracking describes converting pollutants through catalytic reactions, not removing them by dissolving or reacting in a liquid. Absorbing pollutants in solid adsorbent beds refers to adsorption on solid surfaces, a dry or solid-bed process rather than a liquid-based scrubber.