The Challenge

A 42 million gallon expansion at an ethanol production plant in the Midwest was certain to put the dry mill out of compliance for emissions such as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). In general, ethanol production facilities in the United States are permitted to operate under a ‘minor source’ status as long as the total tonnage of key pollutants are below the 100 tons (named sources) or 250 tons (non-named sources) per year limit. However operating restrictions, penalties and fines, as well as community pressures are forcing many plants to strive for the lowest possible emission levels, enabling future capacity expansions.

The Solution

Anguil was awarded a multi-million dollar contract to assist the ethanol plant in meeting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory requirements.

The Result

Known for their low operating cost and high destruction rate efficiency, the Anguil Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) was selected as the best available control technology for the application. The pollution control device consists of two side-by-side Anguil RTOs handling a process volumetric flow of 120,000 SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet per Minute) (192,600 Nm3/hr). The system will achieve greater than 99% destruction rate efficiency for air pollutants and odorous emissions with 95% thermal energy recovery, ensuring low fuel usage. Portions of the equipment are constructed of 304-stainless steel to protect against corrosion from the ethanol process stream. The project scope consists of equipment design, manufacturing, installation supervision, process integration and start-up.

While several options and suppliers were considered, Anguil was awarded the contract after the Midwest producer evaluated system reliability, capital costs, destruction rate efficiency and operating cost estimates.