Experimental Research and Numerical Simulation on Fine Particulate Matter Removal by Foam Agglomeration Method

In this study, experiments were performed to investigate the effective removal of fine particulate matter (FPM) by the promising foam agglomeration method. Further, numerical simulation and thorough analysis were carried out based on the experimental data, and the population balance module was used as the agglomeration physical model. The results indicated that the aggregation size of FPM increased with the foam–liquid ratio because more bubbles with larger contact surface area played a major role. The viscosity of the spraying solution also contributed to the FPM agglomeration; however, extremely large viscosity had a negative influence on agglomeration for the growing solution flow resistance. Mechanism studies revealed the formation of agglomerates of FPM in foams is that FPM gets continuously adsorbed on the surface of the bubbles or droplets, and then the bubbles are broken when the force balance is destroyed between the gravity of the FPM cluster and the surface tension of the bubble, which causes the agglomeration of FPM into large particle clusters. The numerical simulation is in good agreement with the experimental results.