Odour management systems for rendering and processing plants
With odour management installations specified around your process air, vapours and non-condensable gases you can reduce emissions, manage VOCs and keep within the permitted limits.
Instead of just fitting a generic air-treatment unit, Haarslev configures the exact combination of washers, scrubbers and thermal oxidisers that match the odour load, plant layout, energy needs and permit limits at your particular plant.
Why processing odours are difficult to deal with
Rendering and meat, poultry and fish by-product processing generate some of the most complex odour profiles in industry. As proteins and fats break down, they release shifting mixtures of hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and volatile organic compounds - amines, mercaptans, aldehydes, ketones and organic sulphides among them. These compounds are detectable at very low concentrations, vary constantly with raw material and process stage, and easily travel - and get noticed - beyond any site boundary.
That specific combination of low concentration, high variability and high sensitivity is what makes the odorous emissions from such operations a serious problem - the kind that normally can't be dealt with by just bolting on some kind of filter arrangement. It's also why odour management is increasingly in focus in conjunction with environmental permits, ESG reporting and community relations.
However, with suitable engineering solutions, every one of those odour streams can be captured and treated. The key lies in matching the right technology to each specific type of air stream, and the exact odour specifications.
Each behaves differently. Each needs a different approach.
Process vapours
Cookers, dryers and evaporators result in high-temperature, high-load vapour streams that carry the heaviest concentration of odour-causing compounds.
Building air
Contaminated ventilation air from enclosed processing areas is a major source of off-site odour, featuring large volumes and lower concentrations.
Non-condensable gases
Residual gases that remain after condensation usually feature small volumes with a high impact. In the final stream, these must be destroyed before the air streams can be discharged.
Complete integrated odour management systems from one supplier
No single item of equipment is capable of dealing with rendering and processing odours on its own. An odour management setup that you can rely on to be effective layers several technologies - condensing process vapours early, washing and scrubbing contaminated air, and thermally oxidising what's left. Each stage has to be configured and sized to the load that reaches it.
Haarslev supplies the full chain of effective odour management solutions. We combine condensation, air washing, chemical scrubbing and thermal oxidation into one coherent system, specified around your vapour load, VOC load, the available space, water use, energy-recovery potential and compliance requirements.
We build the rendering process and the odour management system that cleans it.
Fewer integration gaps. Fewer surprises at commissioning. A system that performs as an effective, integrated whole, rather than as a grouping of separate parts.
Match the treatment technology to the air stream
Different odour sources require different kinds of treatment. Here's how the main approaches compare. Most plants use combinations of two or more.
Condensation
Turns hot process vapours into liquid, and separates out non-condensable gases.
Vapours from cookers and dryers; reducing the load before final treatment.
Ja - Providing heat for wash-down water and general use in your plant
Air washing
Saturates and cleans air flows, removing dust and particles.
Pre-treatment ahead of further odour treatment, and protecting downstream filter beds.
Nein - This is a conditioning stage – no energy recovery
Chemical scrubbing
Absorbs acidic and basic compounds (such as H₂S and NH₃), and oxidises other organics using water and reagents.
Large volumes of VOC-laden building and process air.
Nein - No energy recovery
Thermal oxidation
Destroys complex odour compounds at high temperature, converting them mainly to CO₂ and water.
The most demanding VOC and odour loads, and for non-condensable gases.
Ja - Steam generation from recovered heat
Not sure which combination would be best for your plant and your particular requirements?
Discuss the combination most effective for youHaarslev odour management capabilities
Six engineered building blocks. We specify and combine them around the details of your particular process. Here's what each one is best at.
Regenerative Nachverbrennung
Widely recognised as the best available technology (BAT) for gaseous air flows from cookers and dryers. Guarantees a minimum 98% odour reduction while delivering high thermal efficiency, breaking complex odour compounds into mainly CO₂ and water. Thermal energy is continuously transferred to and recovered from ceramic media across three vertical sections. For high-efficiency odour and VOC abatement, Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers (RTO) destroy odorous compounds at high temperature while recovering the majority of the heat for reuse. This ensures very high destruction efficiency with low running costs, alongside Haarslev scrubber and biofilter options.
View productHaarslev is the only manufacturer that builds both rendering systems and thermal oxidation systems. The oxidiser and the process it serves are designed to work as one.
Luftwäscher
Controls humidity and strips out dust and solid particles by holding the flow of air at saturation point. The key job of an air washer is to protect downstream performance - keeping the organic material and microorganisms in a filter bed from drying out, so final odour removal stays reliable. Compact, stainless steel, corrosion-resistant, low-maintenance and suitable for installing outdoors.
View productChemischer Wäscher
A compact chemical-washing system, normally sized to treat 6-8 times the air volume of the enclosed space, cycled 6-8 times per hour. Water and reagents absorb acidic and basic molecules such as H₂S and NH₃ while oxidising other organic particles. Single- or multi-stage configurations are engineered to order around your specific airflow rates and gas composition.
View productRekuperative Wärmeoxidation
Widely accepted as the odour management BAT configuration for rendering plants. Exposes gases and vapours to very high temperatures in the presence of oxygen, converting complex organic compounds mainly into CO₂ and water - with better than 99% odour reduction in the outgoing gas. Heat from the oxidised gases is recovered through a steam boiler, producing steam for use elsewhere in the plant.
View productRohrbündelwärmeübertrager
Condenses vapours from cookers and dryers using a liquid cooling medium, turning large volumes of hot vapour into an easier-to-handle liquid with minimal energy for circulating the cooling water. Separates non-condensable gases and VOCs from the condensed water, and recovers waste heat for wash-down water or other plant uses. Easy CIP, fewer fouling concerns.
View productLuftgekühlter Kondensator
Condenses vapours from cooking or drying using ambient air rather than water. Fans draw air through tube bundles; the temperature difference condenses the hot vapours so that non-condensable VOC gases can be removed and sent on for targeted treatment. Twin-pass configurations improve thermal efficiency. Can be installed outdoors or on the roof, runs quietly, uses no water.
View productUnsure which combination would be the best fit for your plant, and for your operations?
Tell us about your process and our engineers will spec out a proposal for the most effective way to meet your needs.
Why renderers choose Haarslev for dealing with issues about odours
For us, dealing with odours isn't a side concern. It's a key part of how Haarslev helps meat, poultry and fish processing operations run cleaner, more efficient and more compliant plants.
Rendering-specific expertise
Not generic air-treatment units. Engineered around the real conditions of rendering and meat, poultry and fish by-product processing - the actual compounds, loads and variability you have to deal with.
Complete system thinking
We combine condensers, washers, scrubbers, and oxidisers into one system – configured and spec'd around your particular vapour load, VOC load, space, water use, energy recovery ambitions, and compliance requirements.
Integration advantage
Haarslev builds the rendering equipment and the odour management systems that clean up after it. This means fewer gaps, easier commissioning and a system that performs effectively and reliably as a whole.
Energy you get back
Condensation and thermal oxidation can both recover energy through heat recovery and steam generation. This turns a compliance cost into plant efficiency.
Service and uptime
The odour management solutions we deliver are backed by Haarslev Services. This gives you the installation work, commissioning, training, spare parts programmes and support that you need to keep your plant running efficiently and within the permitted limitations.
Deal with odour issues at the source, treat the right air streams with the most effective technology, and turn environmental compliance into a more efficient, better-integrated plant.
Let's design the odour management setup your plant needs
Tell us about your process, the odour load you have to deal with, and your permit limits. Haarslev engineers will then help you put together the right combination of condensation, washing, scrubbing and thermal oxidation to meet your exact requirements - current and future.