Bromine (Br) is a dark reddish-brown fuming liquid with a pungent odor. It is the only nonmetallic element that is liquid under ordinary conditions. Bromine is soluble in water. Bromine is a halogen, or salt producing. When reacting with metals it produces range of salts.
Applications
Bromine is used in many applications, such as, pool chemicals, agricultural chemicals, insecticides, pharmaceuticals and chemical intermediates. It can also be used as an accelerant when burning combustible materials and is corrosive to metals. Organic bromines are often used in disinfectants or as protective agents, because of how effectively they kill microorganisms.
Health and Environmental Impacts
Excessive exposure to Bromine can cause irritation to the eyes and throat. Bromine vapors are also toxic with inhalation. It is corrosive to metals, and has adverse effects on vegetable matter. Volatile organobromine compounds can survive in the atmosphere long enough to reach the upper ozone layer.
Control Technologies
Our HEIL Series 730 Counter-Current packed tower scrubbers are the most common technology for high efficiency scrubbing of bromine, most often combined with aqueous caustic solutions. In applications with high concentrations of bromine, HEIL engineers may recommend a combined approach with the Series 770 Water Jet Scrubber to absorb the majority of the gases, followed by a Series 770 Counter-Current Scrubber for polishing.
