Ethylene Oxide (EO) is used for sterilizing materials and products that would be damaged by traditional methods involving heat, moisture, or radiation. It is commonly used to sterilize medical equipment and poses health risks to workers and communities surrounding sterilization facilities according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The sterilizing atmosphere depends on an alkylation reaction that prevents microorganisms from reproducing with gas concentrations are typically 400-600 mg EO per liter of vessel volume.
When the sterilization cycle is complete, the gas is removed from the chamber by a vacuum pump. While EO scrubbing is similar to conventional gas scrubbing, a longer residence time in the scrubbing unit is required because of mass-transfer and reactivity constraints. The EPA latest draft risk assessment, released Nov 2020, provided a route to tighten regulations on ethylene oxide releases from sterilization facilities. Thus, the need for a more efficient scrubber system for EO removal is critical.
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