Siloxane compounds are removed from the atmospheres by silica supporting an organic sulfonic acid compound. The silica with the organic sulfonic acid compound has a specific surface area down to 500 m.sup.2/g and up to 750 m.sup.2/g and a pore volume down to 0.8 m.sup.3/g and up to 1.2 m.sup.3/g, both measured by nitrogen gas adsorption method and has a pore diameter down to 4 nm and up to 8 nm, at the peak of differential pore volume measured by nitrogen gas adsorption method. The durability of gas sensing element against siloxanes is improved.

The disclosure describes various aspects of a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) effluent abatement process. In an aspect, a system for removing toxic waste from an exhaust stream includes a first cold trap that operates at a first pressure and condenses toxic materials in the exhaust stream for removal as solid waste; a pump connected to the first cold trap that increases a pressure of the exhaust stream; a hot cracker connected to the pump that decomposes toxic materials remaining in the exhaust stream after the first cold trap; a second cold trap connected to the hot cracker that operates at a second pressure higher than the first pressure and condenses the decomposed toxic materials remaining in the exhaust stream for removal as solid waste; and a scrubber connected to the second cold trap that absorbs toxic materials remaining in the exhaust stream after the second cold trap.

The present disclosure provides an exhaust system for discharging from semiconductor manufacturing equipment a hazardous gas. The exhaust system includes: a main exhaust pipe having a top surface and a bottom surface; a first branch pipe including an upstream end coupled to a source of a gas mixture containing the hazardous gas and a downstream end connected to the main exhaust pipe through the top surface; a second branch pipe including a downstream end connected to the main exhaust pipe through the bottom surface; and a detector configured to detect presence of the hazardous gas in the second branch pipe.

A method of adsorbing a highly reactive gas onto an adsorbent material comprising adsorbing the highly reactive gas to the adsorbent material. The absorbent material comprises at least one Lewis basic functional group, or pores of a size to hold a single molecule of the highly reactive gas, or inert moieties which are provided to the adsorbent material at the same time at the same time as the highly reactive gas, prior to adsorbing the highly reactive gas or after adsorbing the highly reactive gas, or the highly reactive gas reacts with moieties of the adsorbent material resulting in passivation of the adsorbent material. A rate of decomposition of the adsorbed highly reactive gas is lower than a rate of decomposition for the neat gas at equal volumetric loadings and equal temperatures for both the adsorbed highly reactive gas and the neat gas.

The present disclosure provides an exhaust system for discharging from semiconductor manufacturing equipment a hazardous gas. The exhaust system includes: a main exhaust pipe having a top surface and a bottom surface; a first branch pipe including an upstream end coupled to a source of a gas mixture containing the hazardous gas and a downstream end connected to the main exhaust pipe through the top surface; a second branch pipe including a downstream end connected to the main exhaust pipe through the bottom surface; and a detector configured to detect presence of the hazardous gas in the second branch pipe.

Oxygen is removed from a gas feed such as a landfill gas, a digester gas or an industrial CO.sub.2 off-gas by heating the feed gas, optionally removing siloxanes and silanols from the heated feed gas, optionally removing part of the sulfur-containing compounds in the heated feed gas, injecting one or more reactants for oxygen conversion into the heated feed gas, carrying out a selective catalytic conversion of any or all of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the gas, including sulfur-containing compounds, chlorine-containing compounds and any of the reactants injected, in at least one suitable reactor, and cleaning the resulting oxygen-depleted gas. The reactants to be injected comprise one or more of H.sub.2, CO, ammonia, urea, methanol, ethanol and dimethyl ether (DME).

A method of adsorbing a highly reactive gas onto an adsorbent material comprising adsorbing the highly reactive gas to the adsorbent material. The adsorbent material comprises at least one Lewis basic functional group, or pores of a size to hold a single molecule of the highly reactive gas, or inert moieties which are provided to the adsorbent material at the same time at the same time as the highly reactive gas, prior to adsorbing the highly reactive gas or after adsorbing the highly reactive gas, or the highly reactive gas reacts with moieties of the adsorbent material resulting in passivation of the adsorbent material. A rate of decomposition of the adsorbed highly reactive gas is lower than a rate of decomposition for the neat gas at equal volumetric loadings and equal temperatures for both the adsorbed highly reactive gas and the neat gas.

There is provided an exhaust gas processing apparatus configured to cause a processing gas to be exposed to or come into contact with a liquid and thereby detoxify the processing gas. The exhaust gas processing apparatus comprises a suction casing provided with an inlet which the processing gas is sucked into and with an outlet which the processing gas is flowed out from; a liquid tank configured to receive an outlet-side part of the suction casing and store the liquid therein; and one or multiple spray nozzles placed in the liquid tank. The outlet of the suction casing is arranged to be located above a liquid surface of the liquid stored in the liquid tank. The one or multiple spray nozzles are configured to spray the liquid from around the outlet of the suction casing to a peripheral part of the outlet.

Embodiments disclosed herein include an abatement system and method for abating compounds produced in semiconductor processes. The abatement system includes a remote plasma source for generating an oxidizing plasma for treating exhaust gases from a deposition process performed in the processing chamber, the treatment assisting with the trapping particles in an exhaust cooling apparatus. The remote plasma source then generates a cleaning plasma for treating exhaust gases from a cleaning process performed in the processing chamber, the cleaning plasma reacting with the trapped particles in the exhaust cooling apparatus and cleaning the exhaust cooling apparatus.

The invention relates to a method for purifying a gaseous, liquid or aerosol composition, containing at least one pollutant consisting of a volatile inorganic compound (VIC), a siloxane and/or a functional volatile organic compound (Pollution Trap Concept or P.T.C. System).