The Hindu Business Line : RRL-T develops special medium for odour control

According to Dr Ajit Haridas, Programme Manager-Wastewater Technology, RRL-T, the new biofilter medium has considerably low pressure-drops, quick start-up and high moisture retention. It has also been formulated in such a way as to neutralise acids formed by bacterial action.

Odour is an eminently avoidable but often inevitable nuisance associated with a large variety of industries. Although there are no legal standards for odour emission, it is a potent public relations issue affecting the image of the company. Even labour relations, for that matter. Odour control has been an expensive and inefficient option till the time the biofilters were stumbled upon.

Biofiltration uses micro-organisms to remove undesirable components from industrial waste gases. Waste gases are forced through filter material on which micro-organisms are forced into hibernation. After absorption in the filter material, micro-organisms break down the polluting components and transform them into harmless products such as carbon dioxide, mineral salts and water.

According to Dr Haridas, biological waste treatment processes offer a cost-effective solution for the treatment of large volumetric airstreams containing low levels of pollutants.

They have found use in a broad spectrum of industries ranging from pulp and paper mills, tanning, iron foundries, brewing, textile manufacture, petroleum refining, petrochemicals and so on.

Biofilters can be designed as low-cost open systems with single stage medium. Where land is not available, biofilters can be provided as multi-storey units. They might as well be located on the roof of factory buildings.

Biofilter technology and odour control system design require a careful study of the emission before design of the odour control system, Dr Haridas added.

How is odour measured?

Odour is a complex phenomenon involving interaction of many compounds. The human nose is a very sensitive detector for certain compounds. Odour is evaluated in terms of odour units.

A panel of trained persons can get down to `smelling' the gas sample at various dilutions. They find out at what dilution the odour is barely perceptible. A gas chromatograph may be set up to measure odour in certain cases. When complex mixtures cause the odour, a reference compound may be selected as measure of odour. The degree of removal of a mutually agreed reference compound may be used for evidencing of process guarantees with regard to odour removal.

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RRL-T develops special medium for odour control