Effective Odor Control in the Pulp and Paper Industry
By Brian Duffy, Ecosorb
The importance of odor control is easy to overlook for pulp and paper processors managing busy plants. However, inadequate mitigation methods can quickly lead to complaints from neighbors, and risk the possibility of regulatory action. As a result, it is in plant managers’ best operational, business, and neighborly interests to prioritize keeping odors at bay.
In decades past, masking solutions attempted to merely conceal one odor with another, but more recently, odor control specialists have developed advanced methods of chemically neutralizing unpleasant odors. My article in the Jul/Aug 2024 issue of Paper360°, titled “Mitigating Malodors at Pulp and Paper Production Plants,” explains how Ecosorb formulates and prescribes odor neutralization products for safe and effective use in pulp and paper plants.
The problems with conventional methods
With some of the most offensive off-gas odors of all industrial sectors, odor control is especially critical in the pulp and paper industry. Unfortunately, most conventional odor control methods leveraged in these facilities possess shortcomings, either hazardous to human health or ineffective against certain types of odors. Furthermore, many are expensive or unwieldy to deploy and operate.
In contrast, Ecosorb’s modern plant-based odor removers require relatively little equipment to deploy, and they safely span all odor removal applications by using research-based formulations, each specific to the odor being targeted for removal.
Benefits of standardized blends
To achieve success in this industry and beyond, our odor control experts formulate standardized products that cover a wide variety of applications. Compared to custom solutions, standardized products provide:
- Reduced lead time
- Faster implementation
- Proven efficacy in diverse applications
- Adaptability to process variations
- Reliable supplier support
Creating custom solutions
In specialty processes where standardized products are inadequate, Ecosorb provides custom solutions tailored to the application’s specific odor profile.
This is accomplished by first collecting air samples from the facility, which are stored in high-accuracy Markes thermal desorption tubes. These samples are then analyzed at our lab using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the precise molecular makeup of odorous compounds. Finally, our scientists formulate a combination of plant oils to molecularly neutralize the identified odors on contact.
By offering both standardized and custom solutions, Ecosorb caters to a wide range of needs within the pulp and paper industry and beyond.
Delivery methods
Product is dispersed through either atomization or vaporization systems, depending on the facility and environment. Atomization systems combine concentrated odor eliminators with water, spraying the mixture into the air. High-pressure hydraulic systems are used to propel the spray in open-air settings, while low-pressure fan systems are effective in confined spaces. Low-pressure systems are particularly compact, flexible, customizable, and easy to transport and store.
Vaporization systems pump undiluted odor eliminators through perforated pipe distribution systems, creating a dry vapor to neutralize airborne odors. These flexible systems produce smaller droplets with higher absorption for increased odor control, and they require no additional water.
Paper mill successfully applies odor neutralizer
Despite the use of air scrubbers, at one pulp and paper mill, complaints from neighbors and a threat of regulatory shutdown highlighted the need for better odor control.
The plant called upon Ecosorb to take and analyze air samples from the facility. The team determined standardized Ecosorb 806 formulation was a fit, designed for the unique odor challenges of paper processes. The mill now disperses the product through low-maintenance vaporization systems at multiple odor sources. The solution has proved effective, improving relations with neighbors, and preventing mandated shutdown.
An ideal odor solution
Plant-based odor removers provide safe, environmentally-friendly, and cost-efficient odor neutralization for the pulp and paper industry. This empowers plants to maintain rapport with neighbors and to focus on production, rather than odor complaints.
If your plant is struggling with overwhelming odors and/or strained neighborhood relations, contact our team today – we’re ready to help!
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