The company QualityFry has developed the first patented frier in the world that is able to tackle the odour emission from the process of deep frying. This way, there is no need of installation of stacks or ventilation systems for these processes. Deep frying is a source of odour emission, as odorants are easily carried out to the atmosphere at temperatures of 175-190 ºC. If the gases emitted during deep frying are not collected and treated adequately, they can be a source of odour complaints on communities nearby.

   Restaurants are sometimes a source of odour complaints around the world, but unfortunately, here at olores.org we have not paid much attention to these activities, probably because we focus a bit more on the big scale of the odour impact of industrial activities. However, that does not mean that nothing is happening around the management of the odour impacts in restaurants. The company QualityFry has developed an interesting frier totally covered and with a controlled ventilation that is able to reduce de odour emission by passing the gases of oils, fats and food through an activated carbon filter.

   Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in several industrial sectors are regulated by increasingly restrictive policies, requiring the implementation of control treatments. In recent years, we have been working on the scaling of the biotrickling filter (VOCUS^TM) for its industrial application, and there are several companies in Europe that already use this technology to control their emissions.

   This work compiles the results of the cases of implantation of this technology in various industrial sectors, with VOC of very different nature, from the very soluble ones such as the flexographic industry, to the cases of elimination of styrene emitted in the composite industry and mixtures of soluble and hydrophobic compounds typical of furniture or automobile coating industries.

F. J. Álvarez-Hornos¹, C. Lafita², C. Gabaldón¹, V. Martínez-Soria¹*

1. Grupo GI2AM, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universitat de València. c/Universitat s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. *
2. Pure Air Solutions b.v., P.O. Box 135, 8440 AC, Heerenveen, The Netherlands.