Catalytic Oxidizer Posts

When it comes to air pollution control, understanding the technology that is available is a complicated endeavor, but this knowledge is necessary for complying with environmental regulations. At Catalytic Products International, we are experts in the systems used to control volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and we want to help you understand how you can use these oxidizers for VOC control and to meet all your air pollution control needs.

There are 5 basic, distinct types of oxidizers used for VOC control. Let's look at each of them, along with some simple guidelines to point you in direction of the correct oxidizer for your process. 

In recent years, ammonia has increasingly become a regulatory concern. Due to the formation of fine particulate matter that has been linked to ammonia emissions into the atmosphere, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has focused regulatory efforts on controlling these emissions, due to their statistical association with increased incidence of pulmonary disease and reduced lung function, cardiac arrest, and premature death. In addition, ammonia has an adverse effect on rivers, lakes, and aquifers, which has led to restrictions on ammonia emissions in wastewater.

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is a term used in the air pollution control industry for the process of  selectively targeting a pollutant to remove that pollutant from an exhaust stream. The most common pollutant that is controlled through a SCR process is nitrogen oxide (NOx). While there are many catalysts that can selectively target a number of compounds, the content of this blog will focus on SCR technologies for the reduction of NOx. 

There are hundreds of types of catalyst products at work in the world today. This series will focus only on the use of precious metal catalysts used in air pollution control systems. The most traditional air pollution control device that employs a precious metal catalyst is a Catalytic Oxidizer. Although catalysts have been used in Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers as a means to lower the operating temperature and reduce natural gas consumption, they can also be installed in a catalytic reactor or catalyst bed where the pollutants are found in a pre-heated exhaust stream.

Today many companies are faced with unique air pollution control problems arising from their part coating operations. Not only are vented emissions required to be controlled, but now a more pressing issue is how to treat fugitive emissions.

Catalytic Products International (CPI) recently completed the installation of a VECTOR-Series Catalytic Oxidizer at a custom web coating facility to eliminate the VOC emissions exhausted from three different coating lines. After an extensive technology review the VECTOR Catalytic Oxidizer was installed because it offered the highest reliability, lowest installed cost, and lowest operating costs.

A southeast-based Biomass Generation facility was interested in improving their current process to meet California’s increasingly stringent air emission requirements. At the time, a flare was being used to oxidize the off-gases from various production processes and storage containers.

Ammonia has increasingly become more of a regulatory concern. Ammonia emissions into the atmosphere have been linked to the formation of fine particulate matter while ammonia emissions in wastewater are restricted because of the adverse effect the chemical has on rivers, lake, and aquifers.

Air Pollution Control Oxidizer Case Studies

Recently, a contract drug manufacturing company faced violation of their state operating permit, costly fines, and potential Title V permit classification. To avoid penalties, a more robust abatement device had to be installed, one that met the necessary emissions standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

A chemical processing facility recently installed a VECTOR Catalytic Oxidizer to replace a competitors Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer. The RTO was installed 5 years earlier and could not provide the reliability demanded by the client. The problem stemmed from a basic mis-application of the technology. As is very common, many air pollution control equipment manufactures have abandoned recuperative technology in favor of focusing on regenerative technology.