Method and apparatus for decreased undesired particle emissions in gas streams

An apparatus to remove undesired solid particles from an input gas stream containing water vapor comprising:

• a housing;
• input means for introducing said input gas stream into said housing:
• output means for removing an output gas stream from said housing;
• an adhesive injection means to inject a composition comprising adhesive particles into said input gas stream, said adhesive particles composing an organic compound selected from the group consisting of gums, cellulose and vinyls and mixtures thereof;
• and
• a collection means supportively positioned within said housing to collect said undesired solid particles and said adhesive particles to form a solid agglomerate of the solid particles and adhesive particles on the collection means, wherein the collection means has a temperature greater than the condensation temperature of the water vapor in the gas stream.

A process for removing undesired solid particles from a gas stream containing water vapor and having a gas stream temperature, comprising:

• contacting with the gas stream a liquid composition comprising a porosity inducing agent in liquid form, at least a substantial portion of the porosity inducing agent remaining in the liquid phase at the gas stream temperature, the porosity inducing agent inducing the formation of void spaces between undesired solid particles in a porous solid agglomerate on a collection surface;
• maintaining, after the contacting step and until the collection step, at least most of the porosity inducing agent in the form of liquid droplets;
• collecting the undesired solid particles and the droplets of the porosity inducing agent on the collection surface to form the porous solid agglomerate comprising the undesired solid particles and the porosity inducing agent, wherein the collection surface has a temperature greater than the condensation temperature of the water vapor in the gas stream, wherein, after the contacting step at least most of the porosity inducing agent is substantially free of vaporization and condensation;
• and
• removing the porous solid agglomerate from the collection surface.