Technologies

Adsorption

In the physical adsorption process, organic molecules are held at the carbon surface by mechanical attraction (Van Der Waals forces) resulting from intermolecular attraction.

Desorption (Regeneration)

Desorption is a reversal of the adsorption process. In regeneration mode, solvent is stripped from the carbon surface by using steam, hot gas and/or a pressure swing over the carbon bed.

Activated Carbon

Activated carbon is a well tried and tested adsorbent with a wide range of applications. It is produced by controlled burning of carbon rich materials such as coal, wood or nut shell. It is either steam or chemically activated to further develop its internal pore structure. Many activated carbons have enormous internal surface areas in the region of 1200m² which makes them effective adsorbents.

Biological Systems

By combining the environmental engineering expertise of the Company with the scientific resources of the prestigeous A.N.Bakh Institute of Biochemistry in Moscow, Sutcliffe Speakman has developed a series of biological treatment technologies which offer the safe and effective removal of a wide range of commonly used solvent contaminants and odoriferous compounds.

Biological treatment systems in effect operate as low temperature catalytic oxidisers. Contaminant compounds are contacted with selected microbes either as a single organism or as consortia which have a high degradation efficiency of a wide range of VOC and odour-forming compounds.

These compounds are oxidised to carbon dioxide and water by the action of microbial enzymes (biological catalysts) which allow the microbes to use the contaminants as a source of energy for cell growth.

Distillation and Stripping

Distillation systems rely on the differing volatilities of individual components. Sutcliffe Speakman has designed and supplied distillation systems from small multi-purpose batch columns, to large multi-column continuous systems.

Where solvents are only slightly soluble in water, air stripping can be utilised. Steam stripping is often used to remove solvents from aqueous streams.