Selecting appropriate technology for VOCs abatement

In line with the USEPA mission of encouraging, assisting and leading others to prevent pollution at the source and conserve natural resources – a critical step in achieving a sustainable society, this paper presents a critical analysis of the various volatile organic compound (VOCs) abatement technologies such as air stripping, adsorption, membrane technology, anaerobic/aerobic biological treatment, advance doxidation processes; their applicability and limitations. The application of plasma technology and integrated (hybrid) systems of heuristic algorithm for analysis (SHTEFIE) for analyzing the various constraints in the selection process was presented. The following critical factors must be considered in choosing the appropriate technology for VOCs treatment; VOC characteristics (biodegradability, concentration, volatility and solubility); pronounced flexibility; high removal efficiency; low capital and operating cost; volume of VOCs to be treated and possibility of VOCs recycling. Design calculations for the various scenarios to determine process flow rates and equipment sizes must be performed and then determine the economics associated with each design scenario and choose the optimal design which is usually the least cost scenario