Innovative technology for controlling VOC emissions

This investigation will show that pyrolysed spent grain obtained from the brewery industry plant can be reclaimed as an adsorbent for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The adsorption capacity of VOCs on the reclaimed adsorbent was approximately equivalent to that of coconut shell activated carbon. The properties of the prepared adsorbent were determined in terms of the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area, CCI, activity and elemental analysis. Further studies using column adsorption tests indicated the column utilization ratio was approximately 86% when 930 ppm (by volume) of methylethyl ketone (MEK) in air was introduced to the column. During the desorption cycle, the percentage of solvent (MEK) recovery was observed to be 94% while a steam consumption rate was at 9 kg steam per 1 kg of recovered solvent and operated at 190'C with a flow rate of 120 ml/min.