AN IMPROVED GAS-STRIPPING COLUMN FOR DEOXYGENATING WATER

A gas-stripping column with horizontal internal partitions increases t he path length and residence time of water within the column. It is th erefore more compact and five times more efficient in deoxygenating wa ter than previous designs. A column 128 cm long, using 140 mL/minute o f nitrogen gas, removes 97% of the dissolved oxygen from water flowing at 1.0 L/min and 99.5% from a flow of 0.5 L/min. The new design is ec onomical to construct and operate and can facilitate laboratory study of the biological effects of prolonged hypoxia.