microsoft powerpoint - airphaser odor voc control 2015a abr djm

Typical odor control systems are slightly less than 100 % effective, for example 98%or so.

Also, with this technology there is a residual ozone in the emitted air that can rangefrom 0.5 to 2.0 ppm. The use of an appropriately designed stack is an important partof the odor solution equipment. In typical CALPUF modeling, recognized by theEPA, we see a usual stack dispersion of around 200 to 1. This means that by thetime the air exiting the stack reaches the property line, it has been diluted by around200 times. So with ozone at its worst exit concentration of 2.0 ppm, dividing this by200 results in a concentration of 0.01 ppm, or 10 parts per billion which is well underthe EPA monitoring limit. Also of note, is that this ozone is not combined with thetypical components of smog such as NOx and VOC’s, so the ozone concentrationreduction according to the half-life occurs and it converts back to oxygen.

Air Phaser Environmental Ltd by: Douglas Lanz, President

Chilliwack, BC, Canada. (604) 308-7435www.airphaser.com 1



What you see in this background is an actual, energized, non-thermal plasma (NTP)field. This view is looking “through” the field, which glows due to the energeticelectrons in the (approximately 6mm) air gaps between the electrodes, throughwhich the air passes. All airborne molecules such as oxygen, nitrogen and odorouscompounds have their ionic and covalent bonds disrupted in this field, making themall highly chemically reactive with the most reactive compound formed being atomicoxygen. These compounds then immediately interact through gas phase oxidationand reduction pathways resulting in the odorous compounds being transformed toreduced compounds that are non-odorous. Some compounds will decompose totheir fully oxidized form such as carbon dioxide, water vapor (in the case ofhydrogen) and gas phase nitrogen. These reactions start in the NTP field andcontinue after the air exists the NTP field with most of them being completed within½ second, while some continue on for 2 or 3 seconds in the case where residualozone is present.



So, how does it work?• 2 electrodes with a dielectric barrier separating them and a gas space for the air

to pass through, are energized by HVAC (high voltage alternating current).• It actually is an “old” technology.• It was discovered in 1887 by W. von Siemens.• Picture the spark generated by a car spark plug. Multiply that exponentially. The

sparks, or micro-discharges as they are termed, fill the gas space. This has theeffect of liberating the outer shell electrons from the atomic orbital, withoutheating the protons or neutrons; hence it is called Non-Thermal Plasma. That isbecause the electrons are free due to high voltage rather than heat as in the caseof an high intensity arc such as lightning or in the stars.

The systems we have developed use multiple electrodes in an array, with manyarrays in parallel to handle large volumes of air. Should one of the arrays have atemporary problem, the many other arrays remain operating keeping the odorcontrol system on line and effective. Our system design incorporates is specificallydesigned to be robust, redundant and fault tolerant



Some of the characteristics of a non-thermal plasma are shown here.

Take particular note of the bottom point: It describes the active species, N2, O2, N,O, OH and so on all in various ionization states.These species are many times more reactive than chlorine and are in gas phase, sothey are very effective and very fast. Any VOC’s in this field are similarly disruptedwhich facilitates the gas phase reactions of oxidation and reduction.

What happens in the non-thermal plasma field is that the electron activity alsocauses ionic and electron oscillations which further help with decomposinghydrocarbons and in their oxidation/reduction. That is why, instead of many multiplearcs, you see the entire area in a “purple glow”.

5

This is one way to configure an Air Phaser system. If the air stream has noparticulate and is non-condensing, then all the air can flow through the electrodes(shown as the red box), gaining the benefit of the intense plasma field in oxidizingthe odors and VOC’s in the air stream. This is typically used in cases where theVOC concentration is in the higher end, typically from 5 to over 100 ppm. Thismethod can apply from 1 to 35 watts per cubic foot of air per minute and is bestwhere high intensity treatment is needed.

Some applications will need an ozone destruction stage after the plasma section.This is because an intense plasma field also creates ozone in high concentrations(up to 90ppm) and such must be brought back to acceptable levels prior toenvironmental release. There is an added benefit to this, however. There are a fewoptions and additional benefits with this stage because it also acts as a catalyst.

Activated carbon will adsorb remaining VOC’s and in catalyzing ozone itreduces the ozone to oxygen singlet which then reacts with the surfaceadsorbed VOC’s to provide further oxidation. Additionally, ozone helps createmore micro pores on the surface of the activated carbon. The activatedcarbon will need to be replaced in a routine maintenance cycle, however itlasts much longer than when used as a simple adsorbent.

Manganese oxide also behaves similarly to activated carbon. It is moreexpensive, however it has the advantage be able to be doped with othercatalytic element's such as low levels (less than 1%) of palladium, nano-goldor other compounds to act as a much more efficient catalyst. More research isneeded with this option, however it has the possibility of a much longer lifetimethan activated carbon, acting as a true VOC catalyst at room temperature,achieving nearly 100% DRE (destruction removal efficiency).



6

In cases where the VOC’s are very dilute, perhaps 5 ppm or lower, the compoundsin the air can be oxidized to non-odorous or environmentally safe forms using 5watts per cfm or lower.In some cases where the VOC’s can be detected in the parts per billion range androughly 0.5 watts per cfm is needed, then 25% of the air flow can go through the AirPhaser plasma field to create the reactive oxygen species to treat the other 75% ofthe air flow. A slide near the end of this presentation shows a fish feed factory thatuses 20,000 cfm to treat 80,000 cfm so that the net 100,000 cfm is treated usingthis method.

7

This system is almost identical to the previous slide, except here the air to betreated might be dirty or condensing, so we use ambient air to activate the air to bemixed and reacted with the air to be treated.

8

This is a photo of one such system in operation. While the previous chemistry slidesdescribes the oxidation of the VOC’s in terms of chemical reactants, anotherviewpoint is that this purple glow is really millions of electrical micro-arcs that are“burning” the VOC’s without using a flame.

This non-thermal plasma also destroys smoke particles such as blue smoke fromcuring oil filters, welding smoke and diesel soot. Once the air passes through theNTP field, the particles are completely burned. Soot and smoke micro particles don’treact with ozone, yet are destroyed in this field due to the intense electrical micro-arc activity, which supports the “combustion” viewpoint.

Air Phaser Environmental Ltd. by: Douglas Lanz

Surrey, BC, Canada. (604) 308-7435www.airphaser.com 8

EffectivenessThe DG JRC is responsible for the Institute of Prospective Technological Studiesunder the auspices of the European Commission. One role this organisation hasundertaken is the publication of “Reference Documents on the Best AvailableTechniques” for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control in various industries. InJanuary 2006 the IPPC published a document concerning the Food, Drink and MilkIndustries(1). This document, which according to the Directive must be consultedwhen permitting industries in Europe, addresses the use of non-thermal plasma.The document states that the equipment is proven to reduce emissions by 75-96%depending upon the design, process conditions, and odour characteristics. Resultsfrom application in two fish meal plants are provided. Inlet concentrations onaverage were in the 16,000 OU/m3 range and outlet concentrations were between1600 and 3200 OU/m3 producing reduction efficiencies of 80%±4% and 90%±1%.

1IPPC, 2006. Reference Document on BAT in the Food, Drink and MilkIndustries. Published for the DG JRC under Article 16(2) of Council Directive96/61/EC.

9

Typical odor control systems are slightly less than 100 % effective, for example 98%or so.

Also, with this technology there is a residual ozone in the emitted air ranging from0.5 to 2.0 ppm. The use of an appropriately designed stack is an important part ofthe odor solution equipment. In typical CALPUF modeling, recognized by the EPA,we see a usual dispersion of around 200 to 1. this means that by the time the airexiting the stack reaches the property line, it has been diluted by around 200 times.So with ozone at its worst exit concentration of 2.0 ppm, dividing this by 200 resultsin a concentration of 0.01 ppm, or 10 parts per billion which is well under the EPAmonitoring limit. Also of note, is that this ozone is not combined with the typicalcomponents of smog such as NOx and VOC’s, so the ozone concentrationreduction according to the half-life occurs and it converts back to oxygen.



This fish meal production example uses just under 1 watt / cfm for its odor treatmentneeds and is typical of most biological source odor treatment systems.

To find the power needed for other applications, a site test is recommended to seehow many watts / cfm is needed for the particular process being considered. Somereally odorous applications need as much as 2.5 watts / cfm (really smelly compostoperations) and some solvent type VOC treatment applications can use as much as10 or more watts / cfm. This is why we recommend testing on new applications toevaluate just what the power need will be on new situations to us where there is amix of different VOC compounds.

The Air Phaser can be configured to handle almost any requirement.



This slide shows the modular design and the expandability of the Air Phasersystem. Here we have 3 units in parallel configured to treat odorous air by injectingactivated air as shown in the schematic diagram of slide 7.



This particular platform treats 55,000 cfm of air from a municipal waste (garbage)composting facility.

The Air Phaser units are the cabinets in operation on the mezzanine (green lights).Each unit can treat a nominal 4,000 cfm but can change the air flow depending onthe power per unit volume needed.The installation is comprised of 15 units (there are identical units on the oppositeside that cannot be seen in this photo).Should any unit go offline for any reason, the air is automatically distributed to theother units and continues to be treated.



16

This portable module was designed to treat approximately 500 cfm of odorous air,with the total power in the system being adjustable up to 5.0 kW. The unit runs off240 V single or 3 phase power.

Part of our Feasibility Study determines the actual watts/volume needed to treat theclients process air.The system has full adjustment of air flow, power and frequency. Both inlet andoutlet air can be analyzed.Once these factors are known, we are then able to design a system for eachparticular application with the client’s participation on site.

Even in applications where the design parameters are already known, an on-sitedemonstration of the system’s effectiveness may be helpful.

Air Phaser systems can also be added as a “polishing” or secondary treatment toexisting systems whose odor reduction performance is less than what is needed bythe overall facility.

