Some production processes generate unwanted, even nauseating odors. With the right technology, your surroundings will never be affected, and you will always remain well below the legal emission limits.
Thermal odor control breaks down odor components at high temperatures into harmless compounds such as carbon dioxide and water vapor.
The Callens Group designs and builds systems that not only tackle odor nuisance but also maximize heat recovery and optimum integration into your production process.
Thermal odor control is especially suitable for exhaust gas streams containing organic odor components that can be efficiently oxidized. This technology is used in the food industry, waste processing, the chemical industry, wood processing, and other process industries where odor nuisance is a major challenge.
Reasons to choose thermal odor control:
You want to drastically reduce odor nuisance for the surrounding area.
You need to comply with strict or stricter emission and permit requirements.
You want to reuse the recovered heat within your production process.
Processing capacity
1 to 50,000 Nm3/h
Maximum steam pressure
up to 30 barg
Thermal output
7.5 MW to 22.5 MW
Technical specifications for industrial odor control
Every system is tailored to the characteristics of the exhaust gas stream and factor in flow rate, temperature, humidity, the composition of the odor components, and the desired emission reduction.
Our engineers also examine how heat recovery can be integrated as effectively as possible and which connections are feasible you’re your existing steam, hot water, or thermal oil systems.
Benefits
Benefits of industrial odor control
Efficient odor removal
Organic odor components are broken down at high temperatures, drastically reducing odor nuisance.
Compliance with emission requirements
The system helps businesses comply with increasingly strict environmental and permit requirements.
Heat recovery
The heat released during the oxidation process can be reused for steam, hot water, or thermal oil production.
Low operating costs
Energy recovery reduces primary fuel consumption and improves operating performance.
Fully customized
The thermal oxidizer is tailored to the existing production environment and energy supply.
Easy to scale
The system can be designed with future capacity expansions or stricter emission standards in mind.
How does thermal odor control work in practice?
In industrial odor control, contaminated air streams—such as baking fumes or process air that contain organic components—are discharged in a controlled way to a thermal oxidizer. In this system, the gases are heated to very high temperatures, typically between 750 °C and 1,200 °C.
In the combustion chamber, the air streams are held at this temperature for a specific period of time. This combination of temperature, retention time, and turbulence ensures that the organic molecules responsible for odor nuisance are fully oxidized. They are converted mainly into carbon dioxide and water vapor, which are both odorless.
To make the process energy-efficient, heat from the cleaned flue gases is recovered through heat exchangers. This energy can then be reused within the production process, for example to generate steam or heat water or thermal oil.
Maintenance of your thermal oxidizer and 24/7 service
The Callens Group’s maintenance and service team ensures that your system continues to perform optimally long after delivery. With an in-house team of more than 120 service and maintenance technicians, we schedule preventive maintenance according to the legal and technical requirements of your system.
You can also count on fast support when an unexpected failure occurs. Thanks to our 24/7 standby service, a wide range of spare parts, and the expertise of our service technicians, interventions can be carried out quickly and efficiently.
Even the best-maintained system can malfunction or shut down unexpectedly. That is why the Callens Group offers several service packages, tailored to the desired response time and level of support. This ensures the right support and maximum operational reliability, even in unforeseen situations.
One partner. 60 years of expertise. Complete peace of mind.
With the Callens Group, you choose one partner who manages the entire journey, from design to maintenance. Our integrated approach combines technical expertise, hands-on project experience, and a strong service organization.
500+ projects per year
24/7 service and support
400+ qualified team members
60 years of experience in EPCS projects
With 13 locations, always close by
Reduce your CO₂/NOₓ emissions by up to 100 %
Maximizing energy efficiency does not start with choosing a technology. It starts with mapping out your specific environment and goals.
Questions? We have the answers.
Air scrubbers are highly suitable for removing certain dust particles or water-soluble components, but they cannot always break down organic odor compounds sufficiently. Thermal odor control destroys these odor components by oxidizing them at high temperatures into mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor. This means it not only addresses the symptoms, but also the actual cause of the odor. The most suitable technology will depend on the composition of the exhaust gas stream and the desired emission reduction.
Thermal odor control is suitable for a wide range of organic odor components released during industrial processes. The technology is used in the food industry, waste processing, the chemical industry, wood processing, and other sectors where odor nuisance is caused by organic emissions. Based on an analysis of the exhaust gas stream, the Callens Group determines whether thermal oxidation is the most efficient solution.
Every system is designed entirely to measure, taking account of the flow rate of the exhaust gas stream, the concentration of odor components, process temperature, humidity, and the desired emission reduction. The possibilities for heat recovery and integration within the existing production environment are also examined. The result is a system that performs optimally both from a technical and an economic point of view.
Discuss your project with our specialists
Yes. The heat released during the oxidation process does not have to be wasted. Depending on your production process, this energy can be reused for steam production, hot water production, thermal oil systems, or other industrial heat processes. This reduces the site’s energy consumption and significantly improves the overall energy efficiency of the system.
Yes. The Callens Group manages the entire process: from analysis of the exhaust gas streams and a feasibility study to engineering, construction, installation, and commissioning. Our specialists look beyond the thermal oxidizer itself and also consider extraction, ventilation, piping networks, heat recovery, and integration into your existing production process. This gives you one point of contact for your entire emission reduction project.
More information about the different steps in our workflow can be found here.
For a potato processing site, the Callens Group delivered a thermal oxidation system to treat 40,000 Nm³ of exhaust gas per hour from two French fry lines. The system runs on biogas from the site’s own production processes and removes odor components in line with the applicable emission standards. Thanks to integrated heat recovery, it also produces 20 tons of steam per hour at an operating pressure of 22 barg, significantly increasing the site’s energy efficiency.
More information: https://www.optimumbycallens.com/project/naverbranding-met-biogas-voor-2-frietlijnen/
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