Catalytic Products International (CPI) installed a VECTOR Series Catalytic Oxidizer at an East Coast Bakery for the abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
Bakeries can generate air pollution emissions from several different processes (including gas combustion). The primary source of emissions at a bakery is the oven, which produces Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide from the release of compounds formed in the yeast fermentation process. The main VOC emitted from bakery operations is ethanol. In yeast-leavened breads, the yeast metabolizes sugar, producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles in the dough which causes the bread to rise. The ethanol produced by yeast metabolism is generally liquid at temperatures below 77° C (170° F) and is not emitted in appreciable amounts until the end of the baking process when the dough is exposed to high temperatures around 240° C (464° F). Ethanol and other VOCs react with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere to form smog and are regulated as an ozone precursor under EPA’s criteria pollutant program.
Catalytic and regenerative thermal oxidation are identified as the most appropriate existing control technologies applicable to VOC emissions from bakery ovens.
CPI worked closely with the end user customer along with their Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firm to define, select, and engineer the equipment best suited to safely and effectively treat the emissions from the bakery lines. In this application the bakery oven exhaust contains VOC’s like ethanol that according to the US EPA must be removed before release to atmosphere. Ultimately, everyone involved agreed that CPI’s VECTOR Catalytic Oxidizer was the best choice to meet the requirements of this expansion.
The exhaust gases emitted from two (2) individual bread ovens were ducted to the new 3,000 scfm VECTOR-3 Catalytic Oxidizer mounted on the roof of the bakery. The VECTOR Catalytic Oxidizer provides a minimum +98% VOC destruction efficiency and a thermal efficiency of 70%. CPI provided on-site supervision to ensure coordination with the EPC and their subcontractor as well as the final customer. CPI pre-piped and wired the oxidizer before shipment to site ensuring the quickest installation time with minimal mistakes. This approach guaranteed that entire system was installed correctly the first time, leading to a short start up and commissioning time frame, getting the customer fully operational with minimal downtime.
The VECTOR Catalytic Oxidizer is custom designed and manufactured to meet the specific application requirements. Items reviewed in the design process included VOC’s, process airflow, process temperature, and process particulate. CPI also worked with the EPC to define an equipment location, final scope of supply and detailed project schedule. The VECTOR provides efficient, low-temperature oxidization of process VOC’s through use of proprietary precious metal catalyst. Other item like an alumina coated self-cleaning ceramic guard bed was provided for particulate protection. A custom designed, primary heat exchanger combined with an efficient combustion system provided a fuel-efficient system, all in one convenient integrated package.
Catalytic oxidizers “clean” the process gas by reacting the harmful air pollutants (like ethanol) by providing a surface that oxidizes the VOC to CO2 and water vapor. The catalyst provides a surface to promote the oxidation reaction to take place at a much lower activation temperature than normally required to oxidize the VOC, and does not get used up over time. Catalyst also has a very desirable trait, it does not produce any CO, which are typically found with thermal combustion reactions, only CO2. The harmless CO2 and H2O byproducts are passed through a heat exchanger where the gas stream’s energy is transferred to the incoming exhaust.
In 2019, the customer expanded production with the addition of a new oven and the addition of another CPI 3,000 SCFM Catalytic Oxidizer. CPI worked closely with the customer, their engineering firm, and the oven supplier to provide a turnkey installation of the new CatOx.
Since 1969 Catalytic Products International (CPI) has worked with a variety of industries including food, bakery, and beverage manufacturing companies to provide solutions to their air pollution control needs.
Today, CPI partners with its customers as a trusted resource in resolving the most complex air pollution and energy conservation problems. We provide our customers with innovative and cost-conscious solutions to their most complex VOC, NOx, and Odor pollution challenges. Our equipment is also at work meeting energy conservation strategies and minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
