A stripping column is a piece of equipment that separates two or more components from each other based on differences between the solubilites of the components in the gas and liquid phase. It is similar to an adsorption, except that the two phases are now passed through the column in a counter-current flow. A stripping column could also be used, for example, to remove an impurity from a gas by mixing the gas with a liquid where the solubility of the impurity is much greater in the liquid.

A basic schematic of an stripping column is shown below:

 

 

The gas containing impurities and the relatively clean liquid enter the column where they are mixed. A good portion of the impurities are dissolved into the liquid phase, and the cleaner gas and dirtier liquid then leave the column as two separate exit streams.
 

 

 

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