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VIP International offers sulfuric acid
industry ‘no-NOx’ scrubber system
 Baton
Rouge-based sulfuric acid plant maintenance company designs
one-of-a-kind scrubber that captures NOx emissions Nitrous
oxide. Niter. NOx Those familiar with the day-to-day operations
and maintenance of the sulfuric acid industry know all too
well how these dangerous and heavily regulated emissions can
equal to downtime and decreased productivity. In California
for example, several sulfuric acid plants have been rendered
useless for fear, in part, of releasing NOx into the atmosphere.
However, downtime is not the only issue of concern in larger
doses, NOx emissions can lead to air pollution, illness and
possible death. But as a byproduct of any sulfuric acid plant
operation, NOx is in the truest sense of the word a necessary
evil. Settling in sulfuric acid plant mist
eliminators (as well as sludges throughout the wet side
of an acid plant), NOx emissions in years past have primarily
been the result of "dipping" the mist
eliminator candles in a scrubbing solution for cleaning.
Easily identifiable, a NOx gas release appears in the form
of a large, orange/yellow plume of vapor. But VIP International
Vice President Hoss Maddry explained watching that orange
plume rise into the atmosphere is now an image of the past
and not only because of regulation.
We’ve developed a portable scrubber system that solves
a problem which has plagued the sulfuric acid industry for
years," Maddry said. "Our process removes the oxygen
molecules from NOx, releasing only harmless nitrogen into
the atmosphere. From there, either VIP or the plant itself
can neutralize the solution for proper disposal."
Measuring 6 feet in diameter and standing 22 feet tall, the
"no-NOx" scrubber incorporates a 22,000-cubic-feet-per-minute
blower designed to capture even the smallest traces of NOx.
There’s never been a way to capture NOx emissions, so
instead of cleaning expensive elements, some plants were removing
and disposing of them, or, worse yet, not doing anything at
all and letting their plant site idle," Maddry continued.
"Now, the problem can be handled correctly."
 An
attractive alternative
Even those not entirely familiar with the sulfuric acid industry
can see the advantages of a scrubber system that captures
NOx emissions. These range from simple economics to having
the peace of mind that comes with knowing potentially harmful
emissions are being contained. However, sulfuric acid plant
operators in particular will find the VIP scrubber system
most attractive by providing a cost-effective alternative
to the cleaning and disposing of contaminated sulfates. "We’ve
eliminated a lot of worries associated with cleaning mist
eliminators and sludges that have built up over time,"
VIP International President and CEO Jack Harris offered. "In
the past, it was easy to side-step the issue because there
was no simple solution to the problem. But now there is an
economical solution that is an integral part of the day-to-day
services VIP performs." Harris explained costs are also
curtailed by cleaning the mist
eliminator elements to maximize the true life potential
of the candles or pads.
"By capturing the NOx, plants can legally clean and
reuse their elements rather than spending thousands of dollars
on new ones every time they find sulfate buildup," he
explained. "This alone will reduce their maintenance
costs significantly." In addition, the scrubber eliminates
the need for washing the plant’s towers with a chemical
solution (which reduces NOx emissions but also wears down
the overall life of the plant) and eliminates the necessary
work stoppage due to those working near the cleaning of the
candles.
"Our scrubber system is unique in that it can be utilized
in conjunction with equipment already being used as part of
an existing plant wide turnaround," Harris said. "It
only takes a few hours to set up and doesn’t alter the
schedule of any work being performed in the area of the scrubber.
The capture of the NOx plume totally
alleviates the need for moving or shutting down work in the
plant’s surrounding area."
Maddry agrees the addition of the no-NOx scrubber was a natural
evolution of VIP’s existing line of services, having
established itself for years as a leader in sulfuric-acid-plant
maintenance. "As a whole, I think it definitely takes
our commitment to industry one step further," he said.
"If we’re already inside a facility cleaning elements,
for example, we can just as easily neutralize these contaminated
sulfates by adding the scrubber to the tail-end of equipment
that has already been set up."
But perhaps the most attractive aspects of VIP’s scrubber
are the environmental and regulatory ramifications.
No NOx is good NOx
Darwin Passman, former Dow Chemical supervisor whose experience
includes research and development of co-gasification processes
(including NOx and sulfur species emissions), explained the
consequences of unbridled NOx emissions.
"NOx represents two separate problems," he explained.
"One is pollution of the environment and the other is
personnel exposure. Environmentally, NOx is a primary factor
that increases the lower ozone layer we know as smog. Ozone
(O3 ) is formed when sunlight decomposes NOx to nitric oxide
(NO) and atomic oxygen (O). The
oxygen atom combines with the natural (O2 ) oxygen molecule
to form Ozone (O3 ). The smog formed is toxic to people and
the environment. It’s considered the primary cause of
the greenhouse effect."
"From a personnel standpoint NOx is regulated by OSHA
using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), OSHA’s research division. NIOSH performs research
and gathers data to determine recommended threshold limit
values (TLVs), as well as their IDLH (immediately dangerous
to life and health) exposure
limits. The IDLH for NO2 is 20 parts per million. The short
term over exposure to NOx can have acute health effects."
According to Passman, NOx is regulated by the DEQ and EPA,
which in some cases permits a set number of pounds of NOx
to be released per day. Any releases over the permitted allowance
must be reported to the appropriate agency according to its
set guidelines.
 The
right idea for the right time
Experts in the sulfuric acid industry agree that this is an
idea whose time has definitely arrived. Sulfuric acid Consultant
Bob Jones, for example, foresees immediate impact on heavily
regulated regions such as the West Coast.
"In California, there’s a lot of acid work that
can’t be done because of strict emissions laws,"
Jones explained. "I think when the word gets out, these
plants will find a scrubber system like this will solve a
lot of their troubles."
Jones also predicts that where the West Coast goes, the rest
of the country eventually follows.
"I think as time goes by, the rest of the states will
eventually adopt stricter emissions regulations of their own,"
he offered. "Louisiana has passed some strict NOx laws
in the past several years, with other Gulf South states following
suit."
"This trend has become evident in the fertilizer industry,
for example. For years, the chemical plants were the only
ones being heavily regulated, but now the fertilizer industry
is seeing more regulations heading its way."
"The bottom line is that now there’s a way to efficiently
and legally capture these emissions in a manner that wasn’t
available before," Maddry summarized. "For years,
industry has either ignored the problem on one end of the
spectrum, or shut down its plants for fear of polluting the
atmosphere. Now, there’s an easy solution to both problems."
How to contact VIP:
Email:
info@vipinc.com
6638 Pecue Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70817- 4400
Voice 225.753.8575
Fax 225.753.8596
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