The best solution – technically and economically

A finely tuned program of exhaust gas cleaning systems for dryers and presses is the prerequisite for implementing our self-professed goal of providing “the best technological and commercial solution” for the wood based panel industry. As shown in the chart below, we have at our disposal a very diverse lineup of systems that make it possible to provide a pinpoint design to meet the needs of each respective customer. Thus, it is always possible to achieve the best solution that benefits the plant operator as a function of his or her location, the existing plant assets, and future demands with respect to mandated emission limits.

Technology:

Depending on the required removal rates for dust and organic content, targeted technologies such as pre-separators, scrubbers, wet electrostatic precipitators (SENA, SEKA) and biological processes (SABA, BIO-SENA) are applicable - either individually or in combination. Especially important is the possibility of being able to flexibly adapt these systems for use with existing plants and equipment.

Commercial Viability:

The use of simple system combinations allows us to scale down more complex technical processes using smaller dimensions, which makes it possible to reduce life cycle costs. Another aspect that contributes to the improvement of the overall cost profile is the ongoing development of plants and equipment to achieve a more compact design with the same volume of exhaust gas.

Scheuch’s biologically based technologies for cleaning exhaust gases continue to gain in importance, especially in the MDF industry. This is due on the one hand to lower operating costs in comparison to chemical scrubbers and systems using thermal and catalytic combustion, but also to the environmentally friendly impact of avoiding “greenhouse gas emissions”.

Worthy of special attention in this connection is Scheuch’s roughly decade-long use of heat recovery systems in flue gas cleaning plants, a technology that has also been used successfully in the particleboard, MDF and OSB industries. The heat recovered with water/air heat exchangers can be used, e.g., for preheating combustion air, to heat production buildings, or to partially deplume the SENA plant.
In the case of SENA/SEKA plants installed, for example, in Austria, Brazil and Turkey, heat extraction systems profitably recover between 1 and 2 MW of energy.

Depending on the plant size and the usability of the thermal energy, up to 2 MW can be recovered with exhaust gas volumes of 150,000 Am³/h or more.

The amortization period for the additional expense needed to integrate the heat recovery system is approximately one year. In addition, the following advantages are also attributable to an installed heat extraction system:

• Reduced fresh water consumption through formation of condensate
• High potential for energy savings
• Short amortization times
• Heat exchangers insensitive to impurities/contaminants
• Flexible installation
• Retrofit of existing scrubbers possible at any time
• Improved removal of organic C

The increasing demands with respect to emission limits make it absolutely essential to pre-evaluate cost-effectiveness when determining the correct exhaust gas cleaning system. The operator can only make the right decision from a commercial point of view by first reviewing the technical options for extracting heat, as well as the limitations of the respective system in a comparison of the different technologies.

SABA: Biological process with trickling filter and activation tank
SEKA: Wet condensation electrostatic precipitator (nested pipe design)
SENA: Wet electrostatic precipitator (honey-comb design)
BIO-SENA: SABA with integrated SENA stage