Carbon Adsorption System
Our vapor recovery systems can use specialty activated carbon to remove volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gas streams. After the pollutants adhere to the adsorbent, clean air exits the adsorber for emission or further processing. To regenerate the system after saturation, the adsorber can undergo a desorption process, where heat, steam, or vacuum is used to release the trapped pollutants and recycled with our vapor recovery condenser system.
Activated carbon itself is flammable, especially when saturated with highly volatile organic compounds, such as ketone and aldehyde. If excessive heat builds up due to adsorption of exothermic compounds, spontaneous combustion can occur.
Furthermore, under oxygen-rich conditions, VOCs may interact with carbon to form localized hot spots that can also trigger spontaneous combustion. Inadequate system design, particularly insufficient ventilation, temperature monitoring, or fire suppression measures, may allow heat accumulation, thereby increasing the risk of thermal runaway.
To mitigate these risks, the following measures should be implemented:
▀ Proper airflow design to prevent localized overheating
▀ Accurate temperature control with real-time monitoring and operational adjustments
▀ Comprehensive fire prevention and suppression systems to ensure safe operation
We design and construct specialty adsorption systems for clients in industries including semiconductor, electronics, chemical processing, pharmaceutics, and more. Select examples of treated VOC include hydrocarbons, alcohol compounds, and solvents.
