Filtering ammonia from air
Ammonia (NH3) is an alkaline gas. You capture it with an acid. That can be carbon with an acid, a chemisorption medium with an acid, or an acid scrubber. Which one fits depends mostly on how much ammonia is in the air.
Next step: Request a quote
Where is ammonia released?
Ammonia is one of the most common causes of odour. The others are H2S and VOCs. In meat plants and at wastewater plants, H2S and ammonia are often found together. The Dutch government site iplo.nl names more sources. These are waste plants, composting, intensive livestock farming, manure processing and fertiliser plants. In data centres too, ammonia is one of the gases that corrode IT equipment.
Which filters remove ammonia from air?
|
Technique |
How it works |
Suited to |
|---|---|---|
|
Acid-impregnated activated carbon |
The carbon is treated with an acid, such as sulphuric acid. The acid binds the ammonia. |
Low levels. At high levels the carbon is soon full. The bond can hardly be undone. |
|
Acid-impregnated carbon near electronics |
Carbon pellets with an acid, such as phosphoric acid. |
Ammonia in the air near electronics. There it is one of the gases that cause corrosion. |
|
Acid scrubber |
The ammonia dissolves in an acid liquid. It forms a salt. |
High levels: 200 to 1,000 mg/Nm³ going in. |
We give levels in mg/Nm³. That is milligrams per cubic metre of air at a fixed temperature and pressure. This way you can compare tests. The rest that is still in the air after the filter is called the residual emission.
According to iplo.nl, an acid scrubber takes out more than 99 per cent of the ammonia. Less than 1 to 3 mg/Nm³ is left. The pH is mostly kept between 3 and 6, mostly with sulphuric acid. With nitric acid you get ammonium nitrate. That can be used as fertiliser. Part of the water is drained all the time. That drain water can hold up to 15 per cent salts.
Does the air hold ammonia and acid gases at once? Then you can place an acid scrubber and an alkaline scrubber one after the other.
Not sure if you need carbon or a scrubber? See Activated carbon or scrubber.
What do you need for advice?
We need to know which gases are in the air and how much. We also need the air flow in m³/h, the temperature and humidity, and how long the filter must last before the medium is replaced. Don't know how much gas there is? Then a test filter on a side stream shows which medium works and how long it lasts.
Next step: Request a quote