{"id":584,"date":"2026-10-21T17:30:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/?p=584"},"modified":"2026-10-21T17:30:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:30:35","slug":"what-materials-are-used-to-make-a-scrubber-4546-b3fc40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/what-materials-are-used-to-make-a-scrubber-4546-b3fc40\/","title":{"rendered":"What materials are used to make a scrubber?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever stood next to an industrial scrubber in action\u2014whether at a refinery, food processing plant, or power generation facility\u2014you might\u2019ve assumed the whole thing\u2019s just a hunk of metal welded together. But over my 12 years running a scrubber supply company, I\u2019ve seen how picking the right materials can make or break a unit\u2019s lifespan, its performance, and even how much it costs to run. Today, I\u2019m breaking down exactly what goes into making a scrubber, no stuffy jargon, just real talk from someone who\u2019s spent way too many hours troubleshooting units that skipped the right materials. Scrubber<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get clear on what a scrubber does in case you\u2019re not deep in the industrial world: it\u2019s the piece of equipment that sucks in harmful gases, dust, or fumes, and cleans them before they get released into the air. So the materials have to hold up to two big extremes here: the super-corrosive chemicals that react with the pollutants, and the constant wear from slurries, gas flow, and dust particles bouncing around inside. Cut a corner on materials, and you\u2019re looking at leaks, premature breakdowns, and even safety hazards.<\/p>\n

The Big One: Scrubber Shells (The \u201cBody\u201d of the Unit)<\/h3>\n

The shell is the outer structure that holds all the inner parts. This is non-negotiable\u2014if the shell fails, the whole scrubber\u2019s useless. The most common material here? Carbon steel. It\u2019s cheap, strong, and easy to weld, which is why it\u2019s the go-to for most standard industrial scrubbers. But wait\u2014here\u2019s the catch: regular carbon steel rusts like crazy when it\u2019s exposed to the wet, chemical-heavy environment inside a scrubber. So we don\u2019t just use plain carbon steel. We line it.<\/p>\n

Most often, that lining\u2019s fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP, yeah, we say FRP around the shop) or polyethylene. FRP\u2019s a total workhorse here\u2014it\u2019s lightweight, super resistant to acids and alkalis, and doesn\u2019t corrode even when the scrubber\u2019s running 24\/7. For scrubbers handling really nasty stuff, like sulfuric acid from flue gas, we might go with a dual-lined carbon steel shell: a thick layer of rubber (neoprene or natural) under the FRP. The rubber acts as a first barrier, so if the FRP gets a tiny crack from a dropped tool or a rough cleanup, the steel doesn\u2019t get exposed right away. That saves us from having to tear the whole unit apart to fix a small flaw.<\/p>\n

For smaller, skid-mounted scrubbers (the ones that get bolted to a trailer for on-site jobs), we might use stainless steel. 316 stainless, specifically\u2014it has molybdenum added, which makes it way better at resisting corrosion from salt or harsh chemicals. The downside? It\u2019s way pricier than carbon steel, so we only recommend it when the job calls for it, not as a one-size-fits-all fix.<\/p>\n

The Heart of the Scrubber: Packing and Trays (Where the Cleaning Happens)<\/h3>\n

Okay, so the shell\u2019s the body, but the part that actually does the cleaning is the internals: packing (for packed-bed scrubbers) or trays (for tray scrubbers). This is where the gas and the cleaning liquid (called a slurry) mix up to trap pollutants. If these parts wear out or don\u2019t work right, the scrubber\u2019s efficiency tanks.<\/p>\n

Packing is little shapes\u2014rings, saddles, spheres\u2014stacked inside the scrubber to create more surface area for gas and slurry to interact. Old-school packing used to be ceramic, and it\u2019s still around for high-temperature jobs. But ceramic\u2019s brittle\u2014drop it, and it shatters, which can block gas flow or get stuck in pipes. Now, most of our customers opt for plastic packing: polypropylene or PVDF. Polypropylene\u2019s cheap, resists most chemicals, and works for normal temps (up to 200\u00b0F, give or take). For stuff that\u2019s hotter or more corrosive\u2014like when we\u2019re scrubbing fumes from metal plating operations\u2014we use PVDF. It\u2019s like polypropylene\u2019s tougher cousin, handles temps up to 300\u00b0F and doesn\u2019t break down in strong acids.<\/p>\n

Trays, on the other hand, are flat or slotted plates inside the scrubber, and the slurry flows over them so gas bubbles up through it. Tray material has to hold up to the constant splash of slurry and the pressure from gas moving through. We usually go with the same FRP or stainless steel as the shell, but sometimes, for really abrasive slurries (like ones with lots of dust or solid particles), we\u2019ll coat the trays with tungsten carbide. That stuff\u2019s basically industrial armor\u2014resists wear for years, even when slurry\u2019s being pumped hard through the unit.<\/p>\n

Nozzles and Piping (The \u201cVeins\u201d That Move Slurry and Gas)<\/h3>\n

If the shell is the body, the nozzles and piping are the veins. Nozzles spray the slurry into the gas stream, so they have to be tough enough to not clog (from dust or slurry buildup) and not corrode from the chemicals. Plain metal nozzles? Out of the question. We use polypropylene for standard jobs, but for nozzles that get blasted with high-pressure slurry (like in a venturi scrubber, which is super high-pressure), we use silicon carbide. It\u2019s ceramic, but way harder than regular ceramic\u2014won\u2019t wear down even when it\u2019s pushing slurry at 100+ psi.<\/p>\n

Piping is the same deal. For slurry lines, we don\u2019t use regular PVC\u2014it gets crushed by the weight of the slurry or breaks down from chemicals. Most of the time, it\u2019s FRP or lined carbon steel. For gas lines carrying the raw exhaust into the scrubber, we might use galvanized steel, but only if the gas isn\u2019t too corrosive. If it has sulfur or chlorine, we switch to stainless steel or FRP piping.<\/p>\n

The Fan: The \u201cLungs\u201d of the Scrubber<\/h3>\n

The fan pulls the dirty gas into the scrubber and pushes the cleaned gas out. This is another spot people cut corners, and it always ends up biting them. Fans have to handle wet, dirty gas, so their blades and housing can\u2019t rust or wear down. Most of our fans are made of coated carbon steel\u2014coated with an epoxy that resists corrosion. For really dirty gas (like with lots of solid dust particles), we\u2019ll go with aluminum alloy blades. They\u2019re lightweight, so less strain on the motor, and hold up to abrasion way better than steel.<\/p>\n

Wait, and don\u2019t sleep on the fan\u2019s motor. It\u2019s not a \u201cmaterial\u201d in the parts sense, but it\u2019s tied to performance. We use totally enclosed motors (TEFC, yep, TEFC around here) because they don\u2019t let slurry or dust get into the electrical parts. Open motors? They\u2019ll clog up and burn out in a month, no joke.<\/p>\n

Linings and Coatings: The Unsung Heroes<\/h3>\n

I can\u2019t wrap this up without talking about the stuff that protects the parts you can\u2019t see. We use two main types of coatings: epoxy and polyurethane. Epoxy goes on the inside of pipes and on metal parts that don\u2019t touch slurry directly\u2014it\u2019s a hard, durable layer that stops corrosion. Polyurethane\u2019s more flexible, so we use it on parts that move or get bumped, like fan housings or the outside of small scrubber shells. It doesn\u2019t crack when the unit vibrates, which is a big win.<\/p>\n

A Quick Note on Choosing the Right Materials<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s the thing I tell every customer who calls: there\u2019s no \u201cbest\u201d material\u2014only the right one for your specific job. If you\u2019re a food processing plant scrubbing steam and food dust, you don\u2019t need 316 stainless steel. Polypropylene packing and a FRP shell will work fine, save you cash, and last just as long as a pricier unit. But if you\u2019re a refinery scrubbing sulfur dioxide, skimping on the shell lining will lead to leaks that shut down your whole operation for days.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve had customers come back to me because they bought a cheap scrubber from a random supplier that used plain steel instead of lined steel. It rusted out in 6 months, cost them $50k in downtime. That\u2019s why at my company, we prioritize matching materials to the job, not cutting corners to undercut competitors.<\/p>\n

Scrubber<\/a> If you\u2019re in the market for a new scrubber, need to replace worn-out internals, or just have questions about which materials will work for your setup, hit us up to talk through your needs. No sales pitch, no pressure\u2014just real talk about what will keep your scrubber running smooth for years.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Cheremisinoff, N. P. (2000). Handbook of Air Pollution Control Design<\/em>. Butterworth-Heinemann.<\/li>\n
  2. Perry, R. H., & Green, D. W. (Eds.). (2008). Perry\u2019s Chemical Engineers\u2019 Handbook<\/em> (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.<\/li>\n
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. (1998). Air Pollution Control Technology Fact Sheet: Scrubbers<\/em>. EPA-452\/F-98-003.<\/li>\n
  4. Bahr, D. W. (2007). Composites for Corrosion Resistance: A Guide to FRP Materials<\/em>. SME.<\/li>\n
  5. National Fire Protection Association. (2020). Standard for Wet Scrubber Systems<\/em> (NFPA 850).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Hangzhou Riches Engineering Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Hangzhou Riches Engineering Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional scrubber manufacturers and suppliers in China, specialized in providing high quality custom service and ODM service. We warmly welcome you to buy high-grade scrubber for sale here from our factory.
    Address: No. 368, Wenjiao Road, Fuyang District, Hangzhou
    E-mail: jason@riches-company.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.eto-sterile.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019ve ever stood next to an industrial scrubber in action\u2014whether at a refinery, food processing … What materials are used to make a scrubber?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[547],"class_list":["post-584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-scrubber-4c5d-b4b3aa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.granjajimenez.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}