A structured packing bed for a column is provided. The structured packing bed comprises at least two layers stacked vertically above each other, and at least two of the layers each comprise at least one structured cross-channel packing element having a specific surface area of 60 to 500 m.sup.2/m.sup.3 and a height of 50 to less than 150 mm. At least 50% of the structured cross-channel packing elements are a block comprising a plurality of sheets with periodic deformations. The sheets are arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other such that an open space is provided between them. Adjacent sheets are oriented such that their deformations intersect in crisscross fashion with each other, and a structured cross-channel packing element of a layer is rotated with regard to a structured cross-channel packing element of an adjacent layer by 70 to 110.

An evaporative cooling pad for an air treatment unit includes a first set of corrugated sheets and a second set of corrugated sheets having corrugations defined in a direction transversely of a horizontal plane of the pad, the sheets of the first set being disposed alternatively with the sheets of the second set, with the corrugations of the first set crossing the corrugations of the second set; the crossed corrugations defining passageways penetrating from a first edge to a second edge of the pad, the corrugations of the corrugated sheets bearing against one another so that the sheets touch where at least one of the wave peaks (p1) and wave troughs (t1, t2) of their respective corrugations cross; at least one wave peak (p2) between two wave peaks (p1) of equal amplitude (a1) of at least one of the first and second set of corrugated sheets has a smaller amplitude (a2) than the wave peaks (p1) of equal amplitude (a1), wherein the wavelength (wl2) of the wave troughs (t1, t2) on each side of the at least one wave peak (p2) with smaller amplitude (a2) is smaller than the wavelength (wl1) of the two wave peaks (p1) of equal amplitude (a1) on each side of the wave peak (p2) with smaller amplitude (a2).

A gas-liquid contact packing that has high gas-liquid contact efficiency and can be formed from lightweight and inexpensive materials is obtained. Each of the belt materials 41 having gaps between yarns 46 is made of a woven or knit fabric, the woven or knit fabric is formed from composite yarns 44 including a monofilament and a wire, a combination of monofilament yarns 42 composed of one or more monofilaments and wire yarns 43 composed of one or more wires, or a combination of all or two kinds among the monofilament yarns 42, the wire yarns 43, and the composite yarns 44, each of the belt materials is formed in an accordion shape by alternately repeating mountain folds and valley folds in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the belt material 41, and the belt materials 41 with the accordion shape are layered.