AIR TREATMENT

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Norditec  together with Condorchem Envitech provides the technologies required for the treatment of volatile organic compounds, volatile inorganic compounds, odors, dust and/or aerosols emissions, as well as NOx emissions:

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Norditec and Condorchem designs and builds regenerative thermal oxidizers according to each specific application, with the most common equipment being:

• Two chambers oxidizers (with or without a clearinghouse)

• Three chambers oxidizers

• More than 3 chambers to treat very high flows. Equipment with 3 or more chambers are usually used in those cases in which a large continuous load is needed without losing treatment capacity, and also in the thermal destruction of halogenated solvents.

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VOC TREATMENT

At Condorchem Envitech we provide both, destructive and non-destructive technologies, for VOC (or volatile organic compounds) treatment in any industrial sector. VOC’s purification is essential to adapt industrial processes in compliance with VOC emission limitations, as set forth by regulations in each country.

We are experts in designing the most efficient process for elimination the Volatile Organic Compounds, which will depend on different factors; airflow being treated and its variability, VOC concentration in the air and its variability, availability of space, etc.

Among the most competitive techniques that Condorchem Envitech designs and installs to treat VOC emissions are:

• Regenerative thermal oxidation.

• Recuperative thermal oxidation.

• Catalytic oxidation.

• Photo-oxidation

• Activated carbon filters.

• Rotor concentrators.

• Cryocondensation.

There are multiple air pollutants that may have a harmful impact on human health and the environment, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), sulphur oxides, odor generating compounds, solid particulate matter, ozone and ozone precursors, which are nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds.

CFCs contribute significantly to the destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, as well as to the enhancement of the greenhouse effect. These volatile organic compounds are used for multiple applications, principally in the cooling industry, aerosol propellants and are also present in thermal isolation products. If left untreated, CFCs remain in the atmosphere for a long time (between 50 and 100 years).

The impact of emitting VOCs is one of the greatest environmental problems today. They are responsible, on mixing with NOx, for forming the photochemical smog. Moreover, they cause harmful effects on human health and on natural ecosystems due to their toxicity. On the other hand, they are odoriferous substances, a fact that has a very negative effect on the environment of the industry that emits them. 
 
Among the industrial sectors in which VOCs are generated are the steel industry, the plastic industry, the food industry, the paint, varnishes and lacquers industry, the livestock industry and the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, among others.

Please find here a complete list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

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SCRUBBERS

Condorchem Envitech offers a wide range of possibilities, with the most common scrubbers being the following types:

• Perforated plate columns

• Traditional and special filling columns in co-current or countercurrent

• Spray wash columns

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NOX PURIFICATION

From the eight nitrogen oxides that can be formed, all but dinitrogen monoxide (N2O), nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are unstable. However, emission levels of these three stable gases are too high in big cities.

Due to the serious consequences nitrogen oxides have on the environment and people’s health (NO reacts with hemoglobin and causes cyanosis; NO2 causes pulmonary conditions and gastrointestinal disorders; and N2O may cause polyneuropathy and myelopathy), anthropogenic emissions of these gases, which are mostly related to combustion for energy production and transportation, must be controlled.

First of all, production of nitrogen oxides must be minimized as much as possible (decreasing combustion temperature, decreasing residence time and adjusting the oxigen/carbon relationship). Once produced, these may be eliminated using the folowing methods:

• DeNOx Recovery.

• Selective catalytic reduction (SCR).

• Absorption by chemical reaction using sulfuric acid.

• Chemical cleaning using magnesium hydroxide.

• Non-catalytic homogeneous reduction with methane.

• Non-selective non-catalytic reduction (NSCR). Read more.

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DeNOx Recovery

The DeNOx® process, patented by Condorchem Envitech, was conceived for the treatment of the emissions from power generation solar thermal plants, by converting the (NOx) pollutants into products re-used in the solar thermal plant process.

In a solar thermal plant, sunlight is concentrated by mirrors in a collector that reaches temperatures of up to 1,000°C. This heat is used to heat a fluid and produce steam, which moves a turbine to generate electricity. Although the first power stations could only operate during the hours of solar radiation, nowadays it is possible to store the heat to produce at night.

The energy obtained from solar radiation is stored in salts, a mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, which have an appropriate melting point. They are in a liquid state, for which a temperature of 280°C is necessary. The liquid salts are heated to a temperature of 565°C at which they are stored.

The innovation lies in the fact that the generation of electricity depends on the level of stored hot salts and not on solar radiation. To produce electricity, hot salts are used to boil water in a heat exchanger and produce steam at 540°C and 100 bar. The steam moves a turbine which produces electricity according to real time demand. Read more

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