Food and pet food production industry: pollutant abatement systems of the air
Treatment of odorous emissions, fumes and dust deriving from food transformation processes for human and animal use
The food sector involves numerous companies that perform transformation of food for human and animal consumption.
The processes used for this purpose are the most diverse and include: separation, cooking, grinding, heat treatment, mechanical extraction, chemical extraction, pelletizing, extrusion and much more.
These activities involve the emission of pollutants more or less harmful to the environment and to operators, for this reason they must be extracted and treated using the specific abatement systems.
Dust, fumes and odours abatement in the food sector
When we think about food, several aspects come to mind relating to its consumption (odour, flavour, moments of conviviality and much more), but we rarely associate these concepts with air pollutants. However, food companies carry out industrial processes to transform goods deriving from primary sector activities into end products for human and animal consumption. These activities involve emission of pollutants, such as:
- fumes and vapours mainly arising from cooking the food;
- powders of different size and nature produced by the processing and storage of raw materials and flour;
- odours emitted during the handling of ingredients characterised by very strong smells that spread quickly within the environment;
- VOC and odours emitted by the production of aromas that range from enhancing taste and flavour of the food
Let’s take a look at some of the applied cases in which Tecnosida® designed and manufactured tailor-made systems for the abatement of these substances.
Dust abatement from flour and semi-processed food production
Alimentary flour enters our homes in the form of an end product or foodstuff such as bread, pasta, semi-processed cakes and much more.
Manufacture of these products includes different production phases, including handling and storage, resulting in the emission of dust that is easily dispersed in the workplace environment.
Most food dust (flour, sugar…) is explosive and, as a result, for companies it is necessary to equip themselves with extraction and abatement systems compliant with use in potentially explosive atmospheres and marked with the words ATEX.
Abatement systems for odorous emissions from cooking food
The food sector includes numerous companies and businesses that deal with transformation of food in “ready made” products, i.e. cooked products.
Typically cooking processes involve various types of heat treatments and this involves the emission of different types of pollutants.
In some conditions, special extractor hoods can be applied equipped with pre-filters that retain most of the pollutants. For example, if very high oil concentrations are present, coalescence filters can be used to separate and recover the oil content.
Odour abatement scrubber from food oil extraction
A typical process that causes the emission of very strong odours is extraction and refining on an industrial scale of edible oils produced from various types of seeds and fruit.
The processing of pomace, for example, includes the phases of deposition and drying that involve the emission of very pungent odours that quickly spread into the air.
To solve this problem and break down odorous molecules, specific wet technologies are used in machines called scrubbers.
Cold plasma for abatement of odours from pet food production
Companies operating in the pet food sector mainly deal with the production of dry and wet food for pet nutrition. Production of dry food is carried out through use of extruders and dryers that aggregate the individual ingredients and transform them into the final product.
This type of industrial process involves the emission of dust and very intense odorous emissions, which can be purified and abated through special plasma technology.
Cold plasma ionizer for abatement of cereal flaking odours
Among the many operations carried out in the food industry we also have cereal flaking. During this process, the seeds are steamed and rolled using special rollers.
This process, like those previously seen, involves the emission of odours that are easily dispersed in the environment and that must be extracted and treated by cold plasma.
Abatement systems for odours produced in the dairy industry
In the dairy industry, in order to dry products and move on to the next stages of processing, a tool called a spray dryer is often used that allows products to dry thanks to dry air.
This operation involves emission of strong and pungent odours which must be treated using the specific abatement systems.
Food flavourings are used by food industries to intensify the flavour of food.
These substances are produced through chemical synthesis or physical processes (grinding, fragmentation, distillation…) carried out on raw materials found in nature.
The processes carried out involve the emission of odours that can be more or less strong depending on the aromas produced. To solve this problem, it is necessary to treat the air flow collected along the production lines with specific cold plasma ionisers.
Abatement of air pollutants in the food sector
As we have seen, the food sector is very diverse and includes many companies that implement different production processes.
For this reason it is essential that food companies pay proper attention to all aspects of product safety and compliance with hygiene and health regulations in the production sector.
This issue is strictly linked to the emission of pollutant substances that are dangerous for operators and the environment.
For companies that deal with food production, it is essential to have special systems for the collection and abatement of air pollutants.
For this very important aspect entrusted to real experts: in Tecnosida® we have been designing and manufacturing tailor-made systems for over 40 years!
Contact us for personalised support: we will design and build the most suitable system for your business needs!