Chlorine, HCI and HF Removal

Chlorine, HCl and HF scrubbing and recovery

ERG scrubbing systems provide high‑efficiency removal and, where required, recovery of chlorine (Cl₂), hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) from contaminated process and exhaust gas streams. In most cases, systems are designed to guarantee discharge concentrations of around 10 mg/m³ for HCl or HF and 5 mg/m³ for Cl₂, helping sites comply with stringent local emission limits. Scrubbing is carried out either into water for HCl recovery or into suitable alkaline solutions where a salt liquor is produced as effluent.

Technologies for chlorine, HCl and HF removal

ERG uses packed towers and V‑tex® scrubbers for halogen and hydrogen halide scrubbing, selected and configured to match the gas composition, temperature and required performance. Packed towers are typically used where the gas is clean and a high‑efficiency absorption stage is required, while V‑tex® is preferred where fouling, solids formation or headroom constraints make conventional packing less suitable.

Both technologies can be integrated with quench vessels, sub‑coolers and downstream polishing stages as part of a complete industrial gas cleaning package.

Search ERG’s industrial case studies for examples of chlorine, HCl and HF scrubbing projects in different sectors, including chemical, pharmaceutical, metals and high‑tech manufacturing.

Typical applications and reference duties

ERG has reference plants across a wide range of halogen and hydrogen halide duties, including:

Emergency chlorine scrubbers in metal refining – bulk Cl₂ scrubbing of more than 15,000 kg/hr using multi‑stage V‑tex® technology, with large sump tanks acting as heat sinks and caustic liquor reservoirs. The recirculation pump circuit is designed to control the Cl₂ release to atmosphere and manage temperature rise within the scrubbing circuit.
Hydrochloric acid storage tank vent scrubbers – typically passive scrubbers (without a ventilation fan) treating high‑concentration HCl fumes from 36% w/w hydrochloric acid storage tanks. These systems usually employ packed towers with large sump tanks to deliver reliable scrubbing and batch blowdown of the recovered acid.
Scrubbing of HCl and HF from silicon‑halide hydrolysis – treatment of HCl and/or HF formed from the hydrolysis of silicon halides such as SiF₄, SiCl₄ and H₂SiF₆ in industries including optical fibres, speciality gases, fertilisers and consumer healthcare products. These scrubbers must achieve very high emission standards while operating reliably in the presence of SiO₂ solids generated by the hydrolysis reaction.
General halogenated acid‑gas scrubbing – treatment of emissions from LEV extraction systems and process reactors in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and fine chemicals industries. Systems use either packed towers or V‑tex® scrubbers in materials such as ECTFE or Hastelloy, depending on operating temperature, and are frequently supplied as skid‑mounted packages for easier installation.
Thermal oxidiser flue gas treatment – where a high‑temperature quench forms part of the abatement train, followed by packed‑tower scrubbing for HCl and HF removal from the cooled flue gas.

These applications illustrate ERG’s ability to design, manufacture and integrate halogen and hydrogen halide scrubbing as part of wider industrial gas cleaning and thermal oxidation packages.