The negative impact that production processes have on the environment is becoming increasingly noticeable in environmental terms. To counteract this development, laws and directives have been passed in recent decades that restrict emissions of a large number of pollutants. This also applies to the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition to their substance-specific, neurotoxic properties, these substances form ground-level ozone in the presence of nitrogen oxides and under UV radiation and cause so-called summer smog, which has a harmful effect on flora and fauna.
Why exhaust air purification?
A large proportion of the emissions released by industry result from the use of organic solvents (more than 60% in 2000). For the solvent-processing industries concerned, this means that they must adapt their production processes. One possibility is to reduce solvent consumption, for example by increasing the use of water-based paints. If such primary measures cannot be implemented or only bring insufficient improvements, the exhaust air from production must be cleaned in a downstream system ("end-of-pipe technology").