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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Desorption and cryogenic recovery of volatile organic compounds for reuse

Conference ·
OSTI ID:370382

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments mandate reductions in emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from point sources. The quest for new VOC abatement technologies has led to the development of a new laboratory-scale activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) adsorption bed integrated with a cryogenic recovery system. ACFC adsorption/desorption pre-treatment prior to cryogenic recovery concentrates VOCs for more efficient condensation. Measured mass removal efficiencies of acetone in nitrogen exceeded 95% for cryogenic condenser inlet acetone concentrations ranging from 1,000 to 18,000 ppmv and total gas flow rates ranging from 0.1 to 31 m. Equilibrium between the vapor phase and condensed liquid film was observed for log-mean condenser temperatures above 200 K. The saturation vapor pressure curve proved to be a valid model for determining the outlet concentration of gaseous acetone given the condenser temperature. The development of this system provides a method to recover and reuse VOCs from point sources.

OSTI ID:
370382
Report Number(s):
CONF-960376--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English