An effective odour capture system is any system that:
- captures odour directly from the source
- feeds odorous gas through a treatment control
- releases it into the outside air.
Odour capture systems come in many forms, which all work differently.
Examples include:
- plumbing a cooker directly into a ventilation system
- fully covering conveyor belts at a rendering plant
- installing fume hoods over preparation areas in food processing plants.
All odorous businesses need to have odour capture systems.
Learn more about how to identify, manage and control odour from your business.
Type of control
- Physical
When to use an odour capture system
An effective odour capture system is important for all processes that generate odour.
It's particularly suitable to manage odour produced indoors.
All industries can benefit from using an odour capture system.
Considerations and requirements
The odour capture system you use at your site depends on the:
- type and scale of activities
- volume of gas to be treated
- intensity of odours produced
- exposure risks associated with the odours.
Select the system that works best for your site’s individual processes. For example, you might choose an odour capture mechanism that's also appropriate for unsafe by-products of your process.
You need to understand the areas where odour production occurs.
You will likely need an expert to help with design and installation.
An effective odour capture system needs to work with treatment controls – for example:
- biofilters
- bio-trickling filters and bioscrubbers
- carbon filters
- chemical scrubbers
- stacks
- thermal oxidisers.
Consider which of these treatment controls is right for you.
Your odour capture system may produce mechanical noise. You need to monitor noise levels and make sure you're not replacing an odour issue with a noise issue.
For more information on requirements for managing odour, visit Control odour from your business.
Components of the system
Key components of the capture system are:
- initial odour capture
- odour extraction by fans
- transport of odorous gas.
Initial odour capture
To choose the most effective system for initial odour capture, consider how the odour is produced.
Airlock system
Use an airlock system to help prevent odour pollution when you are loading or unloading odorous material.
Fume hoods
Use fume hoods in individual work spaces.
Fume hoods extract air from the work area into a ducting system for treatment. They then disperse the air outside the building while delivering fresh air to the work area.
Conveyor belt covers
A conveyor belt cover, or conveyor belt hood, encloses odorous material being transported on a conveyor belt. At intervals along the conveyor belt, fans and ducts can extract odorous gas. The gas can then be treated and dispersed.
Negative pressure
Negative pressure is when air flows:
- into a room under doors or through windows, louvres or vents
- out of the room using extraction fans.
This means odours cannot escape from a room. They are extracted, treated and dispersed correctly.
You can use a negative pressure system on a wide variety of sites. You may need one for particularly odorous activities – for example:
- rendering plants receiving abattoir waste
- transfer stations or waste-to-energy plants receiving municipal waste or food and garden organics.
Plumbed exhausts
Plumbed exhaust is typically the exhaust from enclosed odorous sources – for example, from an oven that is plumbed into the ducting system.
Spray booths
You must always conduct spray painting indoors. You should ideally spray within a well-constructed booth that is equipped with:
- exhaust fans
- sealed windows/doors
- a filtering system that cleans paint droplets and fumes out of the exhaust air.
Gases and fumes from the booth can be discharged from the building through an effective odour capture system ending in a stack.
Extraction fans
Extraction fans use a motor to drive a fan that draws air out of an area and through ducting.
It's important that you use a fan that is the right size and power for your business.
You need to locate extraction fans closest to the most odorous areas of the operations.
Ducting
Ducting is an essential part of an effective odour capture system. It draws odorous air into the system with extraction fans. It then transports the odorous air:
- away from the source
- through treatment, such as filters
- out to the point of release.
Without ducting, odorous air is not contained and cannot be properly treated. You need to use ducting that is the right size, material type and strength for your business.
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