Odor and VOC Treatment System Installation
at an Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Chemical Industry

Existing Conditions

Prior to the project, only a small portion of the emission sources at the wastewater treatment facility were connected to an air treatment system.
The existing activated carbon system provided only partial treatment, was unsuitable for the characteristics of the emissions, and resulted in very high operational costs due to frequent carbon replacement.
In accordance with regulatory requirements, the client committed to connect additional emission sources to a centralized extraction system and to install a thermal treatment unit (RTO) in order to comply with the updated and more stringent emission standards.

Challenge

• Implementing solutions without disrupting the continuous operation of the wastewater treatment plant
• Upgrading a used RTO system acquired from another client
• Establishing an LEL safety system to prevent explosion hazards
• Achieving compliance with strict emission limits

Solution

A.B.P. Chemical Engineering and Ventilation Ltd. carried out a comprehensive engineering design that included:

• Defining additional emission sources requiring treatment
• Determining required extraction flow rates
• Full process and mechanical design of the entire extraction and blower system
• Specification of required instrumentation and safety systems
• Design of the RTO unit, pre-heating chamber, continuous emission monitoring, and stack

The purpose of the design was twofold: to ensure effective extraction from all emission sources – thereby preventing fugitive emissions from the wastewater treatment facility, and to adapt the exhaust stream to the refurbished RTO unit that had been acquired.

Following completion of the design, A.B.P. Chemical Engineering and Ventilation Ltd. began the refurbishment and upgrade of the used RTO system, which included:

• Mechanical overhaul of the RTO body
• Replacement of ceramic media
• Replacement of all instrumentation
• Installation of a new main burner
• Addition of a pre-heating chamber and auxiliary burner
• Replacement of inlet and outlet valve actuators
• Installation of a new PLC controller and development of custom software tailored to the facility

In parallel, A.B.P. manufactured and supplied all extraction ducts and connections from the emission sources to the RTO system.
Once the design phase was completed, the company initiated the RTO installation at the wastewater treatment site.
By summer 2025, the installation was completed successfully, and the system was commissioned, meeting emission levels significantly lower than the regulatory limits.

Project Scope and Deliverables

• Process and mechanical design for extraction definition, airflow calculation, and equipment selection
• Full extraction network including ducts, blowers, and stacks
• RTO system with auxiliary burners and pre-heating chamber
• LEL safety instrumentation
• Continuous emission monitoring system for stack pollutants

Sustainability Outcomes

• Significant reduction of odor emissions from the wastewater treatment facility
• Elimination of odor nuisances from the RTO stacks
• High energy efficiency of the treatment system, reducing waste generation (activated carbon) and outperforming alternative RTO systems

Results

Following the installation of the system, odor emissions were significantly reduced, and the facility successfully met TOC concentration levels among the most stringent worldwide.