Purifying venting air to eliminate hydrocarbons during storage tank cleaning
During industrial cleaning and maintenance work, air emissions are often released that require purification on odour, occupational health and safety, or environmental grounds. DESOTEC’s mobile sustainable activated carbon filters are ideal for short-term usage during such operations, as this case study from the Netherlands demonstrates.
Key takeaways
- Rapid, effective filtration to protect occupational health and safety and the environment.
- Modular purification system that adapts to suit your processes.
- Sustainable waste carbon handling is included in DESOTEC’s full-service solution.
The challenge
This company provides industrial cleaning, waste management and catalyst handling services throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.
It was contracted to clean several oil storage tanks for a client in a port industrial zone in the Netherlands.
Depending on the products stored, the tanks emitted venting air containing aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, naphthalene, indene or biphenyl, and solvents like methyl amyl ketone (MAK). Purification was therefore essential to meet Dutch air quality regulations.
Airflow rates varied according to the size of the tanks, while concentrations were high at the beginning of the purification process before tailing off.
It was important for the end-client to carry out the process as quickly as possible to minimise disruption and production downtime.
The cleaning company already had a decade-long partnership with DESOTEC, having worked together on numerous temporary projects. It knew that our mobile, sustainable activated carbon filtration service would provide ideal support for this contract.
The solution
We supplied four AIRCON 3000 filters to a strict deadline so the cleaning operation could start promptly.
One of the filters was kept in reserve to enable a quick filter exchange if flow rates or concentrations were higher than expected.
As well as being mobile, our filters have a relatively small footprint, so are ideal for temporary installation at busy sites.
Each can handle varying flow rates and concentrations, making them suitable for changing process parameters.
For this operation, the mobile filters were filled with our B-PURE activated carbon type, which is made from renewable sources, making the whole filtration solution even more sustainable.
The results
The filters successfully reduced all components to within the legal limits. The cleaning operation went smoothly, generating no downtime for the end client.
As part of our full-service solution we manage all saturated carbon away from customers’ sites, transporting it in closed filter units to our own facilities as soon as the operation is complete.
The spent carbon is safely reactivated for reuse via thermal treatment in our furnaces, driving down costs and boosting sustainability.
Our client continues to be very happy with our service and calls DESOTEC whenever purification is required at a tank cleaning project. Together, we have built a strong working relationship; the client knows that we can be relied upon to provide rapid, adaptable, effective and cost-effective purification solutions.
-
Battery production & recycling
The battery production and recycling industry needs ready-to-implement air, wastewater, and hydrometallurgy purification solutions to enable its fast upscale. DESOTEC is the sustainable choice for battery production and recycling companies, as we provide them with full-service mobile filtration solutions that help them build a greener future. -
VOCs and Solvents
It’s vital to reduce VOCs and solvents in air emissions to protect occupational health, maintain air quality, and avoid contributing to climate change. -
Our unique service
Our closed-loop, full-service model is as unique as your business needs. We’ll define the right filtration setup and safely recycle filtration waste, making it easy to go green.