Final Report Summary - VOLT-AIR (A Novel Integrated Filter System to remove hazardous organic dusts from breathing air) The project VOLT-AIR, funded by the EU, has successfully completed the development of a novel self cleaning, high efficiency electrostatic precipitator and activated carbon filter for removal of particulate matter and toxic odour compounds.European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the agri-food production and other manufacturing sectors suffer from airborne organic particulates, in the form of ultra-fine dust or smoke, which have adverse biological effects when inhaled. This situation poses a common health threat for a number of reasons:- allergenic effects of organic materials ingested- nutrient effects of the materials for bacterial growth- live bacterial content of some materials such as animal dusts- adsorbed irritants such as ammonia or volatile organic compounds.The objective of the VOLT-AIR project was to develop a novel high efficiency, high capacity filter that will both capture and destroy any type of active organic particulate or noxious gas. The technologies used are a novel multi electrode precipitator design and a unique multi functional medium that adsorbs gases and traps large particles, and can be activated by an electric field to produce the plasma. Plasma / ozone regeneration reduces the activated carbon bed depth and as such provides constant low pressure and reduced filter maintenance cost. The self cleaning capability provides reliability and reduced maintenance cost.The key scientific and economic achievements of the VOLT-AIR project are: i) A high voltage multi electrode electrostatic precipitator and integrated heating system with a residence time of 0.6 s:- 99.95 % efficiency in smoke / particulate removal (about 0.3 microns)- excellent grease removal through innovative geometric design, ozone generation and automatic heating- self cleaning mechanism and sterilisation through chemical oxidation and automatic heating. ii) A coated activated carbon neutralisation material in combination with ESP- 99 % efficiency in the removal of organic odour compounds from pig faeces- 82 % efficiency in the removal of organic odour compounds from cooking- low pressure loss. iii) Feedback control emissions monitoring system for online filtering efficiency optimisation, ozone output control and energy efficiency.A literature review / analysis of the industrial emissions present in three applications were carried out at the start of the project and validation trials conducted on two applications: pig faeces and commercial cooking.Specific compounds were identified as a reference for monitoring emission levels and ultimately ensuring optimum removal efficiency. A low-cost and easily quantifiable measurement system for odour reduction has been developed based on monitoring ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and ozone. The influence of the relationship between physical and chemical operational parameters was characterised using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Tests carried out to investigate the effectiveness of the filter include: (a) smoke tests to check for leaks, (b) dispersive oil particulate (DOP) aerosol test for leakage test and photometer detection of efficiency, (c) ammonia test to determine the effects of the electrostatic filter plasma on ammonia. DOP tests carried out on the electrostatic precipitator alone achieved 99.74 % efficiency.Following laboratory trials and optimisation, a validation testing campaign was designed and set-up to determine the filter performance in the two case study environments. A typical McDonald's vat frying station was built using their facilities and pig faeces from a pig farm used to validate the technology.It was determined that - 3 KV was required for optimum efficiency. Also due to varying input emission loading during cooking voltage control is essential. Removal of grease with the optimised geometric design was successful with only a 5 mm penetration into the electro-filter electrode and no deposits upstream or downstream of the filter. Smoke removal was highly efficient. 6 KV was required to successfully remove emissions from 150 L of pig faeces connected to the input. Determination of best filter configuration was down to odour performance. The electro-filter and H2SO4 CAC performed best with 99 % NH3 removal and 38 % H2S removal. Airpel showed good performance with 83 % NH3 removal and 67 % H2S removal. An efficiency of 91.3 % was achieved for the removal of NH3 from pig faeces using the electro-filter + H2SO4 CAC configuration. A 37.5 % reduction in H2S concentration was recorded with the electro-filter only configuration, while a 3.8 % reduction was recorded for the electro-filter + H2SO4 configuration. Sterilisation in VOLT-AIR is achieved through an automatic heating system and ozone oxidation process from the high voltage multi electrode layout. The high voltage multi electrode network attracts pollutants carrying bacteria to the plates for destruction. This increases the rate of heat conduction from the filter to bacteria. The heat sterilisation which is carried out periodically is combined with sterilisation by ozone which is continuous while the filter is on. With this design a small exposure time is required for the inactivation of pathogens and as such reduced the energy required to run the VOLT-AIR system.Dissemination of results from the project has kicked off and response from a presentation given at a major exhibition in France was good. The formation of a company called 'VOLT-AIR worldwide' (VW) has been proposed to the consortium by the exploitation manager. The mission: to maximise value for its shareholders by exploiting all profitable business models worldwide for VOLT-AIR solutions / products. The shareholders being: Filter-One (France), VOLT-AIR SMEs, sub contract manufacturers, VW directors and Venture Capitalist (VC). A project website has been constructed and can be accessed through http://www.voltair.eu.The SMEs and researchers have invented a high efficiency, self cleaning, low cost multi electrode electrostatic precipitator and neutralisation material, for increased environmental quality, health and safety in EU industry. This has been recognised by leading end user companies in various industries which include Ashleigh farms, McDonald's UK, Arcelor and Fagor Brandt. The SMEs have cooperated successfully on a trans-European level and are committed to exploit VOLT-AIR by commercializing the technology in the agro-food production industry. Related documents Final Report - VOLT-AIR (A Novel Integrated Filter System to remove hazardous organic dusts from breathing air)
