ODOR CONTROL via PHOTOIONISATION

Manufacturer: Neutralox Umwelttechnik GmbH Loehestrasse 21 D-53773 Hennef Germany

North American Distributer: Ambio Biofiltration Ltd. Box 644 Rockland, Ontario Canada K4K 1L4

Photoionisation (PI) represents an exciting “new” technology in the odor control business. It is relatively new to North America but has been successfully used in Germany (and elsewhere) for over 10 years for odor control, mostly in wastewater treatment, but also in many other industrial applications.

Figure 2—Schematic diagram of a Photoionisation Treatment Principle

Photoionisation is based on the application of UV light and a catalyst. The first part of the process mimics natural reactions that take place in the upper atmosphere by the interaction of air and UV light coming from the sun. The principles are fairly straightforward. Odorous air passes through a chamber where it is exposed to intense UV light. The UV light creates free radicals, mostly “active oxygen” (O-2, OH-, O3, etc.), that immediately begin oxidizing the odour-causing compounds.

The air then passes to a catalyst, where any remaining odorous compounds are adsorbed and are broken down by the constant flow of free radicals coming with the air from the UV section. The reactions that take place also indicate catalytic activity as one of the byproducts is native sulfur – the classic catalytic Klaus reaction. Thus, the catalyst acts as both a catalyst and “buffer”.

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Advantages of Photoionisation

• Lower operating cost than all competing methods such as chemical scrubbing, activated carbon and incineration.
• Low capital cost.
• Ambio biofilters are designed to accommodate relatively low pressure drop.
• Truly GREEN process—no harmful chemical used, low energy requirements, and final products are benign.
• Our systems are designed to be simple and virtually maintenance free, apart from greasing the fan bearings and changing the filter material every 5 years or so. We guarantee a filter life of 4 years, but depending on the application, it may be much longer.
• There are virtually no odours originating from any wastewater treatment environment that cannot be handled by a properly designed biofilter.
• Safe and reliable operation.

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