In VOCs waste gas treatment, why does the environmental protection department require that honeycomb activated carbon be replaced with columnar activated carbon?
Both honeycomb activated carbon and columnar granular carbon have their applicable scope and unique advantages. When choosing, enterprises should fully consider their own process conditions, waste gas composition and long-term operating costs. Columnar granular carbon has gradually become the first choice for VOCs waste gas treatment due to its superior regeneration performance and cost-effectiven
In VOCs waste gas treatment, why does the environmental protection department require that honeycomb activated carbon be replaced with columnar activated carbon?
Why are the environmental protection requirements for VOCs waste gas treatment gradually increasing?
What is VOCs waste gas?
VOCs is a general term for volatile organic compounds, including benzene, alcohols, esters, ketones and other chemicals. These substances are not only an important source of photochemical pollution, but also pose a potential threat to human health, and therefore have become the focus of air pollution control.
Stricter environmental protection policies In recent years, the state and local governments have successively introduced stricter emission standards. For example, the "Volatile Organic Compounds Unorganized Emission Control Standard" puts forward high requirements for waste gas treatment of industrial enterprises. Especially in high-pollution industries such as chemicals and spraying, the emission limits of VOCs continue to tighten, forcing companies to improve waste gas treatment solutions and choose more efficient adsorption materials.
Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of honeycomb activated carbon
Common size: 100mm×100mm×100mm , 50mm×100mm×100mm
Advantages:
Superior pore structure: The honeycomb pore design provides sufficient microporous surface area, sufficient gas contact and high adsorption efficiency.
Small wind pressure loss: The regular structural design makes it not easy to clog during use and has low wind resistance.
Regular shape: Easy to fill and stack, suitable for large-area layout.
Disadvantages:
High price: High iodine value honeycomb activated carbon (iodine value ≥800) is expensive, and there are a large number of low-end products on the market with uneven quality.
Low strength: Honeycomb activated carbon is brittle, easy to break during transportation, and has a high risk of damage during regeneration.
Complicated replacement: The filling volume of honeycomb carbon is large, and the disassembly and replacement procedures are cumbersome.
Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of columnar granular activated carbon
Common sizes: 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 4mm
Advantages:
High cost performance: The production process of columnar carbon is stable, adaptable, and widely used in a variety of scenarios.
Easy replacement: In a well-designed device, columnar carbon is flexible to replace and easy to operate.
Strong renewability: Columnar carbon has good performance after multiple cycles, and can continue to maintain a high adsorption efficiency after regeneration.
Disadvantages:
Strict flow rate requirements: The flow rate of columnar carbon is low (usually ≤0.6m/s), requiring a larger equipment cross-sectional area and increasing floor space.
High wind pressure loss: Compared with honeycomb carbon, columnar carbon has higher ventilation resistance and high requirements for fan equipment.
Why is columnar granular carbon recommended?
Columnar carbon is easy to regenerate and has low overall cost. Waste activated carbon that adsorbs VOCs is generally hazardous waste, which requires companies to spend money to dispose of. Columnar carbon has high mechanical strength and low breakage rate during transportation and regeneration. It can be reused through desorption or regeneration process. The cost of regeneration is generally cheaper than hazardous waste disposal, and companies can also reuse it to reduce costs. Honeycomb carbon is fragile and may be damaged over a large area during transportation and regeneration, reducing the actual regeneration value. If the company has in-situ regeneration equipment (such as catalytic combustion system), it can directly complete the desorption and regeneration of several cubic meters of honeycomb carbon on the production line to avoid damage during transportation. But for most companies, columnar carbon has more advantages in terms of overall cost.
Columnar carbon has strong adaptability and long service life. Columnar activated carbon has a larger specific surface area and porosity. Whether it is high-concentration waste gas or complex component waste gas, columnar carbon can significantly improve the treatment effect. It can still maintain stable performance under high humidity, oily substances or other complex working conditions, while honeycomb activated carbon is often prone to clogging or failure under such conditions.
Future development of honeycomb activated carbon
Honeycomb activated carbon can still play an important role in VOCs governance through technological improvements, especially in the following aspects:
In-situ regeneration technology
With the continuous development of regeneration technology, in-situ regeneration technology has been gradually applied, and the adsorption capacity of several cubic meters of honeycomb activated carbon has been effectively restored through pyrolysis, steam and other means. Some industrial equipment can even integrate regeneration functions, thereby extending the servicelife of honeycomb activated carbon and reducing the frequency of replacement. Material strength improvement
The problem of insufficient mechanical strength of honeycomb activated carbon has been improved by optimizing raw materials and manufacturing processes. For example, by optimizing the adhesive or increasing the wall thickness of honeycomb carbon, the new honeycomb activated carbon has higher pressure resistance, reducing the breakage rate during transportation and installation, and improving the reliability of industrial applications. Low pressure loss and energy efficiency advantages
The low pressure drop characteristics of honeycomb activated carbon are outstanding in high air volume and low concentration exhaust gas treatment systems. This feature can not only reduce the operating cost of the system, but also reduce equipment energy consumption and improve overall energy efficiency. Therefore, although there are still disputes on adsorption capacity and regeneration, honeycomb activated carbon is still an advantageous choice in scenarios with high air volume, low pressure loss and low concentration.
Both honeycomb activated carbon and columnar granular carbon have their applicable scope and unique advantages. When choosing, enterprises should fully consider their own process conditions, waste gas composition and long-term operating costs. Columnar granular carbon has gradually become the first choice for VOCs waste gas treatment due to its superior regeneration performance and cost-effectiveness. Honeycomb activated carbon also plays an important role in specific scenarios. Through reasonable selection and scientific management, enterprises can effectively control environmental protection costs and achieve a win-win situation of social and economic benefits.