Gas streams from different applications may contain unwanted contaminants that require removal before their use and activated carbon technology is a very effective technology for removing these contaminants. As a manufacturer of high performing activated carbons, Chemviron provides a specialty activated carbons for a range of gas treatment applications, including mercury removal, desulphurisation, flue gas treatment, vapour recovery and other industrial gas purification applications.

Why Use Activated Carbon Technology?

Activated carbon is a highly porous material that removes organic contaminants from air, liquid and gases. To enhance its performance for removal of inorganic contaminants, activated carbon is impregnated with a selected range of chemical compounds or metal salts to chemically neutralize these hazardous contaminants. This means that activated carbon technology can very effectively be applied as a reliable and simple solution to the removal of a wide range of organic and inorganic contaminants from gases.

From a range of granular, powder and pelletised carbons, Chemviron are able to propose an activated carbon that would be most appropriate and effective for the specific gas treatment application. Contact us for more information.  

Gas Purification – Mercury Removal

Mercury can be found at trace levels in a large percentage of natural gas reserves, hydrogen, syngas, or other hydrocarbon gas streams all over the world. Its presence can lead to corrosion of equipment used in the liquification of natural gas (LNG) and can damage precious metal catalysts commonly used.

Refiners of natural gas, gas manufacturers and users of other high-purity gases depend on specialised activated carbons to remove contaminants and capture mercury compounds that can harm their high value process equipment. Chemviron manufactures and supplies several impregnated carbon grades with HGR® being the leading technology for the removal of mercury from natural gas serving customers all over the world.

Our company has been implementing proven and cost-effective activated carbon solutions to remove mercury from natural gas and other streams for over 40 years. With our extensive performance modeling and industry leading performance of HGR®, Chemviron ensures the systems installed are effective and minimises the total cost of ownership for end users. 

Flue gas treatment

Incinerators that treat industrial, municipal, and medical waste, sewerage sludge, crematoria, cement manufacture, and industrial boiler applications generate a flue gas containing a range of potentially harmful pollutants. Dioxins and heavy metals, such as mercury and cadmium, are common contaminants that can be removed with additional activated carbon treatment. 

The dosing of powder activated carbon (PAC) is a cost-effective solution to remove these substances to the low limits required by legislation. Chemviron has a range of powdered activated carbons specialised for mercury and dioxins control for effective flue gas treatment.

Industrial Gas Purification

Gas process streams may often contain unwanted or toxic contaminants that require removal before their use. Activated carbon technology is the most cost-effective purification solutions for removing these materials. For example, gases such as ethylene and natural gas may be desulphurised using specialised activated carbons in our portfolio. 

For the purification of hydrogen by pressure swing adsorption (PSA), activated carbons are used to adsorb organic impurities during the process of continuous hydrogen separation (from methane/steam hydrogen reforming) or other gas separations. To protect compressors’ parts, and as an aid to efficiency, activated carbon is used to remove traces of lubrication oil from gas streams.

Activated carbon may also be used in scrubber systems to control carbon dioxide and ethylene in fruit storage facilities to prevent premature ripening or decay. Food grade carbon dioxide used in the carbonation of beverages often requires purification using activated carbon to remove hydrogen sulphide (H2S), phosphine, arsine, and many other contaminants.

Vapour recovery units (VRUs) using activated carbon are one of the most efficient ways of capturing vapours generated from standard oil and gas production processes. 

Chemviron also provide a range of standard and impregnated activated carbons customised for the removal of specific contaminants such as H2S and odour contaminants from biogas streams. Find out more about our biogas and biomethane treatment service.  

Why choose Chemviron as your Carbon Technology Provider?

Chemviron is the world’s largest manufacturer of granular activated carbons that have been purifying air and gases for over 80 years. Over its history, Chemviron has developed extensive in-house expertise for a variety of processes and manufactured specialised products that enables Chemviron to provide the most effective purification solutions.

Chemviron’s service includes:

  • Technical support to advise on the appropriate activated carbon solution for the application or standards required – contact a representative to find out more.
  • Chemviron has the industry’s largest R&D group with dedicated personnel developing new and innovative activated carbons. This combined with an in-house vapour phase testing laboratory to assess their performance capabilities ensures that Chemviron can provide the most effective product for the challenge required.
  • The production of impregnated carbons in both Europe and the US and the provision of a rigorous quality control process provides an assured supply of the highest-performance and quality activated carbons.
  • The production of powder carbons at one of our specialised production facilities across Europe provides a high security of supply.