In order to investigate spray properties, measurements of local fluxes of the sprayed liquid, focal number fluxes of drops and local drop size distributions were made for wide ranges of liquid and gas flow rates. An empirical correlation for the volume mean diameter of sprayed drops at the nozzle exit was obtained. Experimental studies of gas absorption with a spray column were carried out for carbon dioxide-air-water and carbon dioxide-air-aqueous sodium hydroxide solution systems over wide ranges of liquid flow rates, feed gas concentrations and initial alkaline concentrations. The observed data for dimensionless rates of absorption of carbon dioxide were compared with the values predicted by a solid sphere penetration model.