Based on basic geometric structure about venturi scrubber, a novel venturi scrubber was developed. The performance of the novel venturi scrubber was evaluated experimentally by means of pressure drop, dust collection efficiency and desulphurization efficiency in this paper. Firstly, characteristic of pressure drop was studied in the venturi scrubber: a simplified empirical correlation for pressure drop as a function of gas throat velocity and liquid-to-gas ratio was presented. The model has excellent agreement with experimental data. Secondly, the experimental study on dust collection and desulphurization from simulated flue gas was also performed in the scrubber. The results show the venturi scrubber has higher efficiency of dust collection and desulphurization. a relatively lower pressure drop and a stable operation, and can be used for dust collection and gaseous pollutant absorption in the small and medium-sized coal-fired boilers. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V.