Fugitive emissions arise from various industrial
processes. Historically classed as “odours” and
often sweet smelling, these gaseous emissions are considered
undesirable and a nuisance. Public outcry over plants and factories
that “smell” has resulted in odorous emissions becoming
the target for tighter regulation and a basis for restrictions
on land use zoning.
Typically, the odours that cause
most offence contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) –
mixtures of substances that boil-off and escape with other
gases from production processes. Industrial sources that generate
fugitive emissions are very diverse and include activities
such as:
panel beating
sewage treatment
painting
composting
chemical processing
landfills
mushroom growing
poultry farms
waste treatment plants
dry cleaning
food processing
abattoirs
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MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
Historically, fugitive emissions have been released to the
atmosphere and allowed to disperse without treatment or abatement.
And while urban demand for land permitted odorous industries
to be kept apart from residential areas, this approach generally
yielded a satisfactory outcome. However, this is no longer
acceptable, and odour management is now a pre-requisite for
planning consent for many of the industries that generate
offensive odours and fugitive emissions.
The volatile nature of many fugitive
emissions means that a common method for scrubbing them from
process air is oxidation, or burning, to break down the aromatic
hydrocarbon compounds into less offensive gases that can be
discharged to the atmosphere without causing offence. Other
methods include absorption and chemical breakdown or biological
degradation.
Stack Management Systems (SMS) has been working on the application
of a range of systems to manage fugitive emissions, including
a combined filtration-absorption system – the Absorb-Filter,
and a power generating combustion system – the Power-Burn.
...
THE ABSORB-FILTER SYSTEM
For the Absorb-Filter, SMS has selected a filter media that
is manufactured and sold for evaporative cooling and air humidification
with gas turbine engines. The filter media has exceptionally
high surface area per cubic metre, and remarkably low drop
in pressure across the media.
In the Absorb-Filter, the filter media is coated with patented
photocatalytic paint, EcoPaint, which on exposure to ultra
violet light catalyses the absorption of organic pollutants,
removing them from the air stream. In the Absorb-Filter, banks
of EcoPaint coated filter media will be used as the “extended
surface” over which contaminated air will pass in the
presence of UV light.
The cellular structure of filter media
permits ready access to the surfaces of the filter by the
UV. It also provides multiple pathways along which the polluted
air travels. Turbulence in the tubular pathways combine with
the reflected ultra violet light to ensure that there is a
high level of interaction between the polluted air, the UV
light and the coated surface, facilitating the catalytic reaction
to remove the organic pollutants.
The SMS Absorb-Filter is a candidate to replace traditional
bio-filters with a commensurate major reduction in plant footprint,
and significant improvement in cost, performance, maintenance
and filter service life.
...
THE POWER-BURN SYSTEM
Many of the available odour management devices operate in
a parasitic mode at the discharge end of processes, capturing
odours and neutralising them with little or no added value
to the production process, other than to eliminate the odours.
However, the combustibility of many fugitive emissions points
to possible new sources of renewable energy. With the development
of micro turbines the opportunity to burn fugitive emissions
in turbines is becoming an attractive option, especially with
relatively clean emissions. And, if the energy component of
the fugitive emissions is significant, then, the renewable
energy benefit adds considerably to the economic and environmental
benefits that can accrue.
The SMS Power-Burn System can offer superior odour clean-up,
plus electricity for internal plant use, and heat to stimulate
and accelerate industrial processes. In addition, the kinetic
energy of the moving air through the SMS Power-Burn System
can assist with air movement through the plant. Typical of
waste industry application are:
waste transfer stations receive waste
from local collection vehicles and transfer it to bulk carriers
for medium to long haul to disposal sites. SMS Power-Burn
System installed for odour management will support such
facilities through the kinetic energy in the air flows and
produce electricity for the general needs of the transfer
station, at the same time eliminating odours from the system;
liquid waste treatment plants manage
a range of aqueous wastes with significant quantities of
associated grease, fats and oils. SMS Power-Burn System
can be used for odour management plus a source of heat to
raise the temperature of the liquid wastes, evaporating
the water for capture and re-use and to improve the efficiency
of the processing system. Heat by-product from the SMS Power-Burn
System can create steam for cleaning of vehicles and facilities
and electricity generated can be used on site or exported;
compost plants receive and process organic
wastes to manufacture soil conditioners. These plants generate
fugitive emissions in several locations through the composting
process, noticeable in the waste drop-off area, in waste
shredding and sorting, and in the compost bays. Conventional
odour emission management is via a negative ventilation
system drawing air through the plant to be cleansed in a
packed bed bio-filter. With SMS Power-Burn System clean-up
technology it is possible to achieve superior odour clean-up,
plus electricity for internal plant use, and heat to stimulate
and accelerate the composting process. In addition, the
kinetic energy of the moving air through the SMS Power-Burn
System can assist with air movement through the plant.
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CONTACT SMS
Postal Address: PO Box 877
Newport Beach, NSW, Australia, 2106
