Industrial Odor and Air Stream Carbon Filtration

Odor Compounds and Community Pressure

Industrial vent streams from wastewater treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, food processing exhausts (rendering, slaughter, fish meal), and manufacturing facilities (paint, rubber, paper) carry odorant compounds at low concentration but high human perception. The community detects hydrogen sulphide at 0.5 ppb, mercaptans at 1 ppb, ammonia at 1 ppm. Community complaints drive regulator attention and increasingly drive operating restrictions on the affected sites.

Impregnated Carbon Targets Specific Odorants

The SorbiTech odour control system uses pellet activated carbon with impregnation matched to the target odorant family:

• Caustic (KOH) impregnated: acid gas odorants: H₂S, mercaptans, organic acids
• Acid (H₃PO₄) impregnated: basic odorants: ammonia, amines
• Standard activated carbon: general volatile organic odorants
• Combined media beds: multi component odorant streams

Bed Sizing and Service Life

SorbiTech sizes the bed for the contracted residence time at the design face velocity (typically 1 to 4 seconds residence at 0.5 m/s face velocity). Service life depends on the odorant load: impregnated carbons are single use (chemisorption reaction not reversed by regeneration), with typical bed life 6 to 24 months depending on the load.

Delivery and Service Contract

Delivered as packaged odour control units by SorbiTech or as a SorbiTech media supply contract for an existing carbon vessel. SorbiTech maintains the spent media collection schedule and the licensed disposal route. Sector coverage spans municipal water, food and beverage, and petrochemicals.