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To cite this article: John Von Bergen (1958) Industrial Odor Control, Journal of the Air Pollution
Control Association, 8:2, 101-111, DOI: 10.1080/00966665.1958.10467834
Odors and fumes are the natural strict our discussion to this type of These summaries are significant.
by-product of many chemical manu- problem. Our industrial growth has resulted
facturing processes. in the production of great quantities
Up until a few years ago, odors FIRST STEP: ODOR SURVEY of products which were unknown at
were considered something inevitably the beginning of the 19th century.
present around many chemical plants. A survey of chief public officials Our automobiles alone pour 7 million
But recently a number of methods responsible for the control of air pol- tons of exhaust gases into the atmos-
have been developed for controlling lution in 67 major industrial cities phere daily. The chemical industry
or eliminating industrial odors. was conducted in 1955.(1) Tabulation has experienced a seven-fold increase
Most odors emanating from chem- of answers to the following specific in sales over the past 30 years, and
ical plants are not physically dan- questions was made: this growth is continuing at a phe-
gerous. But they have proved to be Q. Do you receive many com- nomenal rate.
psychologically dangerous. The fact plaints about odors either separate In spite of many other sources of
that they do not cause organic disease from or accompanying other forms air pollution, the fact remains that
is a difficult point to prove — par- of air pollution? many individuals continue to blame
ticularly when the surrounding com- chemicals in general for increased
munity, submerged in a disagreeable A. Many complaints were reported air pollution problems. It is inevi-
odor, has been aroused by unin- by 78% of the respondents. More table that control agencies will in-
formed rumors and misleading infor- than half of these judged that the crease the pressure for odorous air
mation. number of complaints were increas- pollution abatement as time goes on.
The new methods of odor control ing. Chemical engineers stand directly
have accomplished much in a short Q. Do you feel there is increasing in the path of this pressure buildup
time for the improvement of commun- public interest in odor problems in and the chemical industry has many
ity relations and plant employee mor- your community? serious odor problems for which it
ale. These factors, together with con- A. Yes 68% needs answers.
cern over depressed property values No 20%
due to odor, and the general discom- No answer 12% Remove Odor at Source?
fort of odorous areas, have all com- Q. Would you please indicate the
bined in opening the doors to an in- It is possible, of course, to control
sources of odors in your community odors by eliminating or reducing
telligent and logical approach to- at this time or in the past? (In order
wards this problem. their source. This may involve re-
of frequency of mention, here are the arranging or subdividing the mole-
Industrial odors are now recog- sources of odors. The figures refer cules of aldehydes, diamines such as
nized as a very definite part of the to the % of questionnaires in which putrescine and cadaverine, ethyla-
over-all air pollution picture. Chem- the source was cited.) mines, indoles including skatole, thio-
ical engineers concerned with the de- A. Chemicals 62% mides, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium
sign, supervision or administration Vehicles 52% sulfide, organic acids, phenols, cre-
of chemical plants should become Paint and varnish 49% sols, isocyanides or carbylamines, ke-
familiar with the latest methods and Food processing 47% tones, mercaptans, mercaptides meth-
techniques available for controlling Domestic (homes, etc.) 45% ylamines, thiocyanates and many
industrial odors. Rendering plants 43% other compounds discharged by chem-
Some odors are conveyed on liquid Plastics 33% ical process industries.
and solid particles. Filters, electrical Oil refineries 31% Specific treatments that can be ap-
precipitators, sonic flocculators, cy- Coke works 31% plied may fall in the classical chem-
clone scrubbers are available for re- Rubber 27% ical reactions: neutralization, acidifi-
moving these particles. (See Chem. Steel 25% cation, alkalization, oxidation, reduc-
Eng. Oct. 1953.) Most odors occur tion, hydrolysis, polymerization, etc.
in the gaseous phase and we will re- Insulation 21%
Fish 21% Improvements in process methods,
Gas works 19% equipment and housekeeping can re-
*Reprinted from Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical 19% duce the volume of exhausts.
August 1957. Copyright 1957, McGraw-
Hill Publishing Co., Inc., 330 West 42nd Soap and detergents 17% If the gaseous wastes of an indus-
Street, New York 36, New York. Breweries 15% trial process are known or can be pre-
Odorous f
fumes A
Considerable progress has been ganic compounds containing sulphur, on porcelain rods or platinum alloy
made in an attempt to reach com- catalytic combustion operating at coating on nichrome wire.
plete deodorization by use of cata- temperatures below 675°F. or above
lytic burners, particularly in elimi- l,250°F. will convert sulphur to sul- Odorous air, passed through a
nating odors from fats, oils and fatty phur dioxide — less offensive and less catalytic device, may be oxidized at
acid processes. The only limitation dangerous than many of the original temperatures 500-800°F. lower than
of a catalytic burner is that the com- substances as long as the dispersal required by uncatalyzed incineration.
bustible substance introduced into the level is well below the maximum per- A major contribution offered by cat-
alytic combustion is the considerable
burner must be in the vapor phase or missible level in the neighborhood.(5) lowering of the firing temperature,
must be vaporizable at a reasonable General rules for organic com-
temperature. Noncombustible inor- with resultant saving of energy for
pounds containing nitrogen are dif- heating air, and capital equipment
ganic solvents are not affected by a ficult. The effluent may contain free
catalyst and should be absent from costs for heating capacity.
nitrogen or its oxides depending on
the air stream. the conditions of operation. Reduc- Some combustion processes may
As to complete oxidation, it must tion of nitrogen oxides will, of operate without an outside energy
yield innocuous products in order to course, release free nitrogen. source, except for that required to
serve the purpose of odorous air pol- reach the firing temperature. Or with
lution control. In the compounds of Catalysts Lower Temperature smaller fuel requirements, where such
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which Use of catalysts to aid combustion operation would normally have been
cover a wide field, this is true. In is illustrated by the design of plati- economically unfeasible in uncatal-
the case of hydrogen sulphide or or- num alloy activated alumina coating yzed incineration (Fig. 1).
TABLE I* Temperature for effective combus*
tion deodorization depends to a great
HEAT CONTENT OF MAJOR OXIDIZABLE POLLUTANTS IN AIR degree on the chemical nature of the
vapor to be oxidized and on concen-
Bcisis Heat Content of Air Temp. tration in the inlet stream. Self-
Mixture, Btu./cu. ft. Rise,F. a sustaining catalytic combustion is at-
tainable normally in concentration
Pollens, bacteria, dust, ranges of 15-20% of the lower ex-
fibers, smokes •
eliminator
bcffic piote
t
reason final tests should be made in ents retain water in preference to carbon is saturated, odor will con-
an odor-free room and by odor ob- most other vapors and therefore are tinue to carry through the filters.
servers not conditioned to normal incapable of adsorbing non-polar or
plant odors. weakly polar gases (most organic va- Service Life of Adsorbents
pors) selectivity from a moist at-
• If satisfactory results are ob- mosphere. Service life of an adsorption sys-
tained, compare an investment and tem, using activated carbon, for pur-
operating appraisal with other meth- Activated carbon is electrically poses of replacement may be com-
ods of odor removal. non-polar and consequently capable puted from the following formula
of preferential adsorption of organic (Fig. 4 ) .
material. Previously adsorbed mois-
ADSORPTION METHODS ture will be displaced from the car- Time of service life (hr.) —
bon surface as organic acids and •6.43(10) *SW
Adsorption is the phenomena of vapors are adsorbed.(6) eQrMCv
surface attractions universal with all An advantage of using activated Where S — ultimate proportionate
substances. In theory it is agreed carbon is it adsorbs all types of odors saturation of carbon or fractional
that adsorbed molecules do not pene- under almost any condition. It can retentivity; W = weight of carbon
trate the atomic or molecular con- be used without making a careful (lb.); e = fractional adsorption effi-
struction of the adsorbent. analysis of odor content. Properties ciency; Qr — cfm. of air processed
In adsorption there is interaction of gases and vapors hand their reten- by adsorption equipment; M = aver-
between the solid and gas. The bond tivity by activated carbon are avail- age . molecular weight of contamina-
may be broken by moderate elevation able. <8> tion; Cv = ppm. of contaminants.
of temperature to drive off the chem- Equipment selection generally de-
ically unaltered absorbate. This is The following are the properties
physical adsorption rather than chem- pends on requirements for total ca- of some atmospheric contaminants:
ical adsorption (this discussion does pacity, allowable pressure drop and
space requirements. Over-all adsorp- Odor
not include capillary attraction). Mol. Retentivity Threshold
tion efficiency of activated carbon is
Wgt., M" S Cone, ppm.
Control of atmospheric odors by practically 100% for vapors having
adsorption methods is for all prac- a high retentivity value and remains Acrolein 56 0:15 1.8
tical purposes limited to the use of so until the amount of material ad- (heated fats)
activated carbon as adsorbent. Metal- sorbed is about two-thirds of the Hexane 86 0.16 Almost
lic oxide, siliceous and active earth retentivity figure independent of odorless
type adsorbents are electrically polar moisture. Care must be used in re- Phenol 94 0.30 0.28
and have strong attraction for water, placing the activated carbon filters Valeric acid 102 0.35 0.00062
which is highly polar. Polar adsorb- prior to the saturation point. Once 1
(body odor)