Vertical Panel-Bed Filtration for Ammonia Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ventilation systems in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) fail to effectively reduce gaseous pollutants like ammonia, leading to health issues for animals and workers, environmental degradation, and increased heating costs due to reliance on temperature-based ventilation, which does not target pollutant levels.
Innovation Solution
A panel-bed filtration system using solid sorbents arranged in vertical beds with a customizable duct system independent of main ventilation, capturing pollutants through physisorption and chemisorption, and regenerating sorbents to minimize equipment size and energy costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If ventilation rates are increased to reduce ammonia concentrations, then indoor air quality improves, but heat loss increases and heating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes ammonia and other gaseous pollutants from the air stream using filtration devices equipped with sorbent materials. The pollutants are captured and concentrated on the sorbents, which are then periodically regenerated by heating to release the concentrated pollutants for disposal, while the cleaned air is recirculated back into the building without requiring increased ventilation rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces sorbent materials as intermediaries that facilitate the removal of gaseous pollutants. These sorbents temporarily hold the pollutants through adsorption, enabling separation of the pollutant removal function from the ventilation system, thus allowing air cleaning without increasing overall air exchange and heat loss.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ventilation is used as the primary method to reduce gaseous pollutants, then pollutant concentrations decrease, but equipment complexity increases and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention periodically regenerates the sorbent materials by heating them to high temperatures, which releases the concentrated pollutants for disposal and restores the sorbents for reuse. This cyclic process allows continuous pollutant removal with minimal energy input compared to constant high-rate ventilation, as energy is only consumed during periodic regeneration rather than continuous operation.
3Temperature
If conventional ventilation systems are used, then temperature and moisture control is maintained, but pollutant removal effectiveness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the air handling functions into separate systems: the main ventilation system continues to handle temperature and moisture control, while additional filtration devices with sorbent materials are introduced specifically for pollutant removal. This segmentation allows each system to optimize its function without compromising the other.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If sorbent beds are made larger to increase pollutant capacity, then pollutant capture improves, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operational parameters of the sorbent beds by periodically heating them to high temperatures for regeneration. This parameter change allows the same sorbent material to be reused multiple times, effectively increasing the pollutant capture capacity over time without requiring proportionally larger bed sizes. The cyclic regeneration process concentrates pollutants into smaller volumes for disposal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system improves indoor air quality, reduces atmospheric emissions, and enhances animal health and production performance while producing a usable byproduct, thus reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
capturing pollutants through physisorption and chemisorption
Implementation Method 2
capturing pollutants through physisorption and chemisorption
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for collecting a gaseous pollutant from air may comprise multiple vertical panel-beds each containing a solid sorbent; a fan to pass the air through the multiple vertical panel-beds and over the solid sorbent; an outlet gate configured to release the solid sorbent from the multiple vertical panel-beds after the fan passes the air over the solid sorbent; a regeneration vessel configured to regenerate the released solid sorbent by recovering the gaseous pollutant from the released solid sorbent; and a conveyor configured to return the regenerated solid sorbent to the multiple vertical panel-beds.