Odour is caused by the emission of mixtures of chemicals from a wide range of industrial operations. The release of any odorous gas/vapor from industry, whether it may or may not represent a health risk, will result in complaints and possibly regulatory fines.
Many industries discharge wastewaters containing low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and other odorous substances. The presences of these substances in wastewaters not only makes those streams not reusable but also contributes to unpleasant smell.
A combined low pressure membrane and catalytic process has been investigated; and the effect of the process parameters such as liquid and air flow rates, temperature, pH, will be presented.
Up to 99% removal of VOC such as acetaldehyde, acetone, and toluene could be achieved by sweep gas membrane distillation from dilute synthetic aqueous solutions and simple olfactory tests of treated vent gas indicate significant reduction in odour from the catalytic reactor. The short residence time and low operating temperature would allow the process to operate in a small catalytic system with minimal energy input.
Key words: Membrane distillation, catalyst, water reused, ammonia, VOCs