Air purification

From the chemical or petrochemical industry, to the pharmaceutical industry or the production of plastics, polymers and composites - almost every manufacturing company needs a solution for industrial air purification to comply with emission limits and prevent complaints about odour nuisance.

With mobile filters from DESOTEC, you get a flexible, cost-effective and clean solution for reducing industrial air pollutants and odours, that can be tailored to your company's requirements.

• We take care of the entire logistics, including filter exchange and handling of the activated carbon - without investment and maintenance costs, operational interruptions or carbon handling on site.
• Rental contracts on a daily basis ensure the greatest possible flexibility during use.
• Saturated activated carbon is recycled at DESOTEC thanks to state-of-the-art reactivation furnaces - for an environmentally friendly, closed-loop service.
• In the process, the impurities adsorbed by the activated carbon are completely destroyed in accordance with national and European laws.

Learn more now:

Applications of mobile activated carbon filters for air purification

Volatile organic compounds (VOC)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a group of hydrocarbons that evaporate at low temperatures and can be gaseous at room temperature. VOC emissions from industry and commerce contribute significantly to air pollution. The main sources of VOC pollutants are the production and use of organic chemicals and fossil fuels such as benzene and petroleum. Certain VOCs are often used as solvents, e.g. in paints and chemical processes.

Because they are potentially hazardous to health and the environment, VOCs are subject to certain directives. In Europe for example, VOC emissions are regulated both on a European, national and local level. You can read more about this topic further in the article.

Our case studies give you an insight into the diverse applications in which our mobile activated carbon filters have proven to be extremely effective in reducing VOC from air emissions:

• Removing VOCs during the production of bitumen roofing
• Removal of nitrotoluene from storage tank gases during venting
• Removing VOCs in the manufacturing and application of paints and coatings
• Chlorinated VOC removal in the pharma industry
• Controlling odour and VOC pollution in composites manufacturing
• VOC removal in the rubber industry

In our e-book you can learn more about our tailor-made air purification solutions using mobile activated carbon filters from DESOTEC.

Odours

Depending on their type and concentration, odours can strongly affect well-being, for example in the vicinity of production facilities or waste treatment and sewage plants. Causes are VOCs or inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and ammonia (NH₃). Substances with a low odour threshold, which in addition to H₂S and NH₃ also include styrene, for example, cause considerable odour nuisance even in low concentrations. In the case of hydrogen sulphide, for example, which smells intensely of rotten eggs, the odour threshold is already 0,2-2,0 µg/m³ according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Adsorbers with activated carbon are ideal for treating odours caused by organic compounds. Odour nuisances caused by inorganic molecules such as H₂S or NH₃ can be effectively eliminated with impregnated activated carbon.

Our case studies give you an insight into the many possible applications of activated carbon for odour elimination and the advantages of our mobile air purification systems for the industry:

• Tackling odour nuisance at waste water treatment plants
• Odour control during the processing of household waste
• Complete filtrations system for odour removal in the bitumen production
• Removing acrylate odours from UV coating lines

Mobile air purification systems from the European market leader

Our mobile AIRCON activated carbon filters for exhaust gas cleaning and activated carbon types can cover a wide range of pollutant types, inlet concentrations and volume flows. It represents a convenient as well as cost-saving filtration solution for industrial air emissions. The filters can be flexibly adapted to the needs and used in series as main and pol filters, for example. Parallel use for larger air flows is also possible.

• Plug and play: The DESOTEC filter modules are ready for immediate use and can be connected within 30 minutes.
• 24/7-Service: We are available around the clock and have our own fleet of vehicles - so the activated carbon filter will be at your site within the shortest possible time.
• Rental fee on daily basis: There are no investment and maintenance costs.
• Clean solution: As soon as the activated carbon is saturated, we replace the complete filter with a unit of the same type - replacement and recycling of the used activated carbon takes place at DESOTEC.
• Complete destruction of pollutants: In accordance with national and European legislation, the adsorbed pollutants are completely destroyed in the flue gas purification installation, which includes a thermal oxidiser.
• Innovations from the European market leader: We are continuously working on the further development of our products & solutions - so you are always working with the best available techniques.

Air pollutants: laws, regulations and guidelines

Since the late 1970s, the European Union has been developing and implementing measures to improve air quality. However, the outset of air quality within the EU really took of in 1996 with development of the Air Quality Framework Directive (1996/62/EC) which stated how air quality would be assessed and managed in the member states. The Air Quality Framework Directive was later combined with other directives into the Ambien Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). A possible revision of this directive is planned for 2022.

As industrial production processes account for a significant share of the overall air pollution in Europe, the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) was developed. This regulates emissions of pollutants from industrial installations and aims to protect the environment from harmful industrial emissions through the application of Best Available Techniques (BAT).

Since air pollution travels over long distances and crosses borders of the different member states, the EU also has measures in place to reduce the national air pollution by defining national maximum values for key pollutants. This is defined in the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive (NEC Directive), also known in industry as the National Emission Ceilings.

These overarching European directives are then implemented within the environmental legislation and action plan of the different member states.

Currently there is no overarching European regulation related to odour. However, some member states do have national or regional regulations and limits in place. This is for example the case in Germany and Italy.