Main industrial applications of absorption columns are the purification of flue gases as well as the fabrication of acids in the chemical industry. Due to the wide-spread implementation of such columns which are filled with random or structured packings, it is key to characterise them with a pilot plant under standardised conditions. The VDI guidelines for measurement and evaluation of fluid dynamics and mass transfer in packed columns are used as a reference for this characterisation. In this work a lab-scaled column with a diameter of 150mm was designed, built and put into operation to fill the gap between the already existing pilot plant (DN450) and the ‘mini column’ in lab scale (DN40) operated at the chair of process technology and environmental protection at Montanuniversitaet Leoben. Measurements according to the guideline VDI 2761 should be feasible to determine pressure drop, hold-up and mass transfer parameters. Based on the design of the new column and the specified dimensions, a CAD-model was prepared. With this information at hand, the column was erected and equipped with all the necessary measurement devices. The data acquisition as well as visualisation and control system were developed with the commercial software package Lookout. Furthermore, the test plant was prepared for the measurement of mass transfer and the determination of the effective interfacial area aeff, the gas-side mass transfer coefficient βG and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient βL. Finally, fluid dynamic measurements for three different packings were performed and compared with the results of the pilot plant ‘Packed column’ (DN450) as well as with the experimental plants of SRP (Separations Research Program) at University of Texas and UCT (University of Chemistry and Technology) in Prague.