THE SITUATION

A large non-woven textile manufacturer, located in the Southeastern United States, was directed by state authorities to comply with environmental air quality standards. Regulators mandated that the emission of visible smoke fumes be controlled and limited. Lubricants used in the manufacturing process were identified as the primary cause of the smoke fumes. As calendar rolls pressed fabrics together, lubricants were heated to such an extent that visible smoke emissions were created. In addition, oily emissions led to the contamination of the rolls of non-woven fabric. As a result, the company's objectives were to keep the rolls of fabric clean and the manufacturing process running, and to comply with the environmental standards.

THE SOLUTION

Our recommendation involved a turnkey solution, install proprietary hooding over the rolling process to prevent contamination from the emissions and collect the emissions with CMC style mist collectors. This solution utilized technologies from CECO Filters, Busch International, and specialized project management from Kirk & Blum. Our customer purchased three mist and smoke eliminator systems designed to handle up to 12,000 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow and two systems designed to handle 16,000 CFM.

THE RESULT

The smoke eliminator systems have been operational for over nine months and the company has experienced limited downtime in their manufacturing process. Emissions have been fully compliant with the appropriate environmental regulations. Contamination from the lubricants onto the non-woven fabrics has been eliminated. Having met the stated objectives, our customer was satisfied with the results of our cost-effective solution.