Emissions Control at Adhesives Plant
Background
A Global 500 company in the chemicals and petrochemicals industries has, among numerous plants worldwide, a plant in the U.S. that produces high performance adhesives and sealants. These products are used to bond and seal parts in many applications, including automotive, aerospace, general assembly, packaging, and textiles. The adhesives are produced by processing a variety of materials in reactors, forming the products under controlled conditions, and packaging for sale.
The plant had issues with emissions of very fine particulate, aerosol, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the process exhaust. The particulate and aerosol size in the emissions is in the sub-micron range, and due to the nature of the product, these particulates are extremely sticky.
The emissions posed two problems. The VOCs required control under EPA requirements, and the emissions were depositing on buildings and other assets around the plant, including automobiles, and the sticky deposits were extremely difficult to remove.
Alternatives
After emission prevention projects were completed, the plant's alternatives included the following control measures:
- Venturi scrubber;
- Cartridge collector or baghouse;
- Electrostatic precipitator;
- APC Technologies' ultra-high efficiency filter (UHFTM) system.
The last option is an indexing-bed filter system that uses proprietary technology to achieve very high control efficiency in a compact unit with low energy requirements.
Decision
The UHFTM system, which was chosen by the plant, offered a control efficiency of 99.9%, a very low pressure drop (i.e., low energy costs), simple operation and extremely low maintenance costs, and no downtime required for filter replacement as it could be done while the process is running.
The venturi scrubber was not selected due to lower control efficiency, as the unit only captures the water-soluble portion of VOCs and the larger particulate; a much higher pressure drop at over 20 inches w.c. (high energy costs); a wastewater disposal issue; and higher maintenance due to the sticky nature of the adhesive particulates.
The cartridge collector/baghouse options were not selected because first, the sticky particulate will quickly blind the filters; second, these units dictate a higher pressure drop; and finally, downtime is required for changing out cartridges or bags, unless a redundant unit is purchased.
Similarly, the ESP option was not selected because it cannot handle sticky contaminants, as the adhesive aerosol and particulate could not easily be cleaned off of the plates.
In terms of capital cost, the UHFTM system was the lowest cost. With the lowest operating and maintenance costs, the UHFTM had the lowest total life cycle cost by a substantial margin.
Result
The objective was fully met and expectations were exceeded. The UHFTM system meets EPA requirements for VOC emissions, and there is no adhesive particulate being deposited on the buildings and automobiles. The state EPA was so pleased that it considered the system for a clean air excellence award.
Phone: (888) 212-3079
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E-mail: inquiries@apctechnologies.net
Web: www.apctechnologies.net
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