Acid spray wet scrubbers are widely used in industrial processes especially for the capture and treatment of greenhouse gases. In addition, their very high sequestration efficiency makes this technology a revolution in the treatment of gaseous emissions. Indeed, there are several types of scrubbers namely vertical, horizontal, with or without lining bed, cross or countercurrent. etc. The technologies differ according to the type of application, the treatment capacity and the type of pollutant to be treated. Usually, these are heavy and expensive installations. Our project consists in adapting this technology to treat gaseous ammonia produced in poultry houses. Indeed, the treatment is done by an acid washing solution in order to trap the ammonia in the form of ammonium sulfate (chemical fertilizer).
Estimates of NH3 emissions have shown a high demand for ventilation, which is necessary to remove the NH3 excess inside the poultry house, bearing in mind that the ammonia content must not exceed 15 ppm to maintain a good rearing climate and preserve the health of the birds. In addition, 50 000 birds spread over two floors can generate close to 1 ton of ammonia per 40-day rearing cycle, which means that about 6.5 tons of NH3 are produced annually. In addition, ventilation data requires a 60 000 CFM unit for each floor to process the released ammonia. The study of the empirical efficiency of the scrubbing process allowed to estimate the quantity of fertilizer produced annually, which is about 19,6 tons. The consumption of washing solution and electricity is also elaborated.
Finally, a technico-economic study was carried out to estimate the expenses related to the consumption of washing solution (5 780 $/year) and electricity (11 425 $/year). The cost of the units suggested by the selected supplier was approximately 875 000 $. It was also possible to calculate the profits from the sale of fertilizers (11 035 $/year), as well as possible subsidies and funding of about (3 450 $/year) and incomes on the increase in sales prices. The study of the Quebec’s situation shows an accumulation of nearly 9,9 kt eq CO2 for 744 chicken farmers in 2017. The cost of treatment amounts to 495 000 $ and revenues from the sale of fertilizer (9,85 kt) are approximately 5,5 M$.
It turned out that ammonia emissions are not negligible, considering the environmental impact of its derivatives such as N2O, something that encourages governments around the world to apply restrictions and force industrialists to treat their own emissions by integrating green technologies such as wet scrubbers in their production chains.
| Date | 14 Dec 2020 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Daniel Rousse (Supervisor) |
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Fennani, H. (Author),
Rousse (Supervisor),
14 Dec 2020Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Engineering