Step by step odour control

Step by step solving of industrial odour emissions

No matter what interesting and nice products are manufactured inside a factory, odours simply cannot be avoided. Especially in industries like feed, food, oil seed, tobacco and rubber, one cannot prevent exhaust air from coolers, dryers or other process equipment. Besides dust, the air blown out through chimneys might contain also odours that usually aren’t dangerous for the neighbours, but indeed can harm well-being. This as nobody likes to live near a smelling factory and breathe smelly air day after day.

To keep your neighbours satisfied and to positively work on company image, but also to comply to more severe legislations for odour emissions nowadays, it is advisable to control odour emissions by applying odour reduction.

The key is however to do this thoroughly. While the world of odour control likely is new for a lot of people, chances are that too quick solutions are implemented. Often quick implementations of cheap direct plasma abatement that promise 100% odour reductions are seen. This without even investigating the clients situation in detail. And by doing so real problems are introduced instead of providing long term “green” solutions.

Aerox invented cold plasma injection odour control

Aerox, inventor of the cold plasma injection odour control technology, knows from more than 25 years’ of experience in industrial odour control that real durable solutions require advanced and tailor made technology. Moreover, first a step-by-step investigation of the specific and unique odour emission problem on the client’s site is to be done. Without this the end-result will not be optimal.

The first step always is an analysis of all odour sources. An odour source is characterized by both the concentration of odours expressed in ouE/m3 or as dilution rate and by the air flow expressed in m3/h. The product of both provides the total odour emission, usually expressed in MouE/m3.

Second step is to decide which sources should be reduced. This in order to reach the target of zero complaints while also fulfilling local regulations. The good news is that not always all sources need to be controlled. The Aerox sales team will be happy to visit you for advise on both steps. This is a good opportunity to explain more about the differences between abatement solutions. We will explain the pros and cons of solutions installed in the dirty, dusty, sticky exhaust air like direct plasma or activated carbon or chemical scrubbers and the smarter always clean cold plasma injection systems.

The third step is to determine if odour reduction can be achieved by cold plasma injection technology. This can be done by using the Aerox microtester, a portable suitcase test device that can be used for a first indicative impression if the specific odours are reduced. It is also used to indicate which cold plasma capacity is needed for the specific production plant and situation.

The fourth step is then to carry out a more advanced pilot test. This is done by applying the Aerox minitest system in combination with odour concentration measurements by an independent certified assessment company. The result of these tests is a detailed report describing about process conditions and what odour reduction efficiency can be achieved. Together with the test program it is determined which Aerox cold plasma capacities will provide the optimal result. This information enables Aerox and client to reliably upscale and design the required full scale Aerox®-Injector system.

The fifth step is Aerox to provide and explain in detail our dedicated odour control advice and offer based on the report and our knowledge.

The last step

The sixth and final step  is the most interesting one. After client decision to implement the project the design and implementation of the Aerox®-Injector in the factory will start, obviously in close cooperation with client and 3rd party engineers as needed. This process is only completed after the successful start-up and commissioning of the Aerox®-Injector.

As from this moment the customer and the neighbourhood will get used to the Aerox system that runs automatically and does not need much maintenance. Besides changing of pre-filters that can be easily done yourself, only once per 8,000 hours of operation an qualified Aerox engineer will visit the site, for which a timely notice will be provided by a monitoring system and for which no process downtime is required.