Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S)

Hydrogen sulfide results from the breakdown of organic matter through anaerobic digestion. Even at low concentrations, its rotten egg smell causes odour nuisances. Sewage and sludge at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and rotting green refuse at waste management sites are common sources of H₂S emissions.

Apart from having a foul smell, H₂S is toxic, posing a serious occupational health risk. When reacting with water, it turns into sulphuric acid, which is corrosive. Plus, it’s flammable. So, it’s a priority for companies to find effective methods for removing H₂S and disposing of it safely.

Desotec is ready to help, supporting your firm with our full-service sustainable mobile filtration solutions. As H₂S is inorganic, we use special impregnated activated carbon to chemically adsorb it onto our filters.

Nobody wants to live near or work at a facility that emits a sulfur smell. Sites where H₂S is unavoidable, such as WWTPs and biogas production plants, need to treat odour emissions to maintain good community relations, protect their reputation, and continue to do business.

As H₂S is often emitted with other components, the mixture treatment may require more than one technology, or multiple filters in series. For instance, scrubbers may be used to remove the bulk of the contaminants, before the gas stream is passed through the Desotec filter as a polishing step. The result is clean, fresh-smelling air.

Desotec’s sustainable mobile filtration services for odour removal can be sited at many other emissions sources, such as vents from tank storage. Our filters can handle discontinuous flows, thus working well for applications such as truck loading.

Odour emissions are not the only problem that Desotec’s filters can solve. In biogas production plants, H₂S corrodes machinery such as combined heat and power (CHP) engines. H₂S can also damage the membranes used for biogas upgrading to biomethane.

Again, scrubbers might treat the bulk of the contaminants before activated carbon filters remove the residual molecules. Desotec installs filter set-ups designed for each unique site, e.g., separate filters containing different carbon types for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and H₂S removal.

Desotec’s sustainable mobile filtration services enable your company to comply with stringent air quality and occupational health legislations. Due to the toxicity and flammability of H₂S, site operating licences set out very low limits, so polishing with activated carbon filtration is often essential.

If odour complaints prompt action required by the environmental authorities, Desotec can quickly install filters that will take effect immediately.

In biogas and biomethane production, manufacturers set limits for how much H₂S their CHP engines, membranes or other equipment can handle. Desotec filters allow you to abide by this guidance, protecting your machinery and saving on maintenance costs.