In plastic factories, especially in the plastic injection process, emissions are always a matter of special concern. The heating and melting process not only creates products but also produces many volatile organic compounds such as CO2, CO, dust, etc. These substances not only directly affect the health of workers but also pollute the surrounding environment.
Therefore, choosing a method to treat emissions from the plastic injection process becomes a key factor to help businesses meet environmental standards, protect public health and move towards sustainable production. Let's learn about treatment methods with GREEN IN. emissions from the plastic injection process Check out the article below!
What are the emissions from the plastic injection molding process?
Emissions from the plastic injection molding process are understood as a mixture of gases, vapors and dust produced during the plastic processing by injection molding or extrusion technology. When plastic materials and additives are fed into the thermoforming machine, they will undergo heating, melting and deformation due to temperature. If the temperature is too high or the processing time is too long, the plastic can decompose and produce toxic gas compounds.
At the same time, the exhaust gas generated from the heat pressing process also has recognizable characteristics such as:
- Diverse and complex composition: Plastic emissions typically contain a mixture of natural and synthetic resins and a variety of chemical additives. This composition can vary depending on the raw material and manufacturing technology, resulting in unstable emissions concentrations and characteristics.
- Content of organic compounds that are difficult to treat: Most of the emissions generated contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and persistent substances. These are all compounds that are difficult to remove by conventional treatment methods, increasing the challenge of pollution control.
- Toxicity and unpleasant odor: Many components in plastic emissions are highly toxic and emit a characteristic pungent odor, directly affecting workers' health and polluting the surrounding air environment.
- Generation of dust and solid particles: In some stages of heating, extrusion or plastic molding, exhaust gases also carry fine dust and suspended solid particles, degrading air quality.
Potential risks of ineffective plastic injection waste treatment
If the treatment of waste gas generated during the plastic injection process is not carried out properly, it will lead to many serious consequences, directly affecting both the environment and public health:
- Air pollution is getting worse: When the treatment system operates inefficiently, toxic gases such as VOCs, CO, SO₂, NOₓ and fine dust generated during the plastic injection process will escape into the environment. This makes the atmosphere in the factory stuffy and spreads to surrounding residential areas, causing a decline in air quality.
- Direct threat to human health: Workers and communities living near production facilities are susceptible to unpleasant odors and toxic gases. Consequences can include headaches, coughs, allergies, and respiratory impairment. Long-term exposure can even increase the risk of chronic diseases or cancer.
- Risk of spreading to soil and water environment: Part of the emissions can be deposited on the ground or dissolved in rainwater and seep into groundwater. This accumulation leads to soil and water pollution, directly affecting agriculture and daily life.
- High additional processing and remediation costs: Businesses that do not invest properly in exhaust gas treatment systems from the beginning will face much greater remediation costs later, from environmental remediation, installation of additional equipment to administrative fines.
- Reputation impact and development opportunities: A facility that is found to be polluting will lose the trust of customers, partners and regulatory agencies. This not only causes difficulties in business operations but also hinders the goal of long-term sustainable development.
Process of treating emissions from plastic injection process
The process of treating emissions from the plastic injection process includes the following contents:
Control of dust in exhaust gas
Normally, the dust in the exhaust gas generated from the plastic injection process will be treated by a hollow washing tower. The exhaust gas generated from the plastic injection process will be transferred to the tower through a pipeline from bottom to top. At the lower level of the hollow washing tower, water will be sprayed to retain the maximum amount of dust in the exhaust gas. The dust will be retained by the water and flow down. The exhaust gas after being filtered of dust will continue to be treated through the next steps.
Treatment of toxic gas components in exhaust gas generated from plastic injection process
On the second level of the treatment tower, the plant often installs an absorption pad to increase the contact area between the gas stream and the absorption solution. Here, both physical absorption and chemical reactions take place, helping to remove toxic compounds such as VOCs, SO₂, NOₓ or organic gases. The system is designed so that the absorption solution is constantly circulated and automatically replenished when necessary. After a period of operation, the saturated solution will be collected and treated separately.
Waste gas treatment in plastic production process
The plastic forming process is mainly based on heating and pressing plastic into the mold, so the amount of emissions generated is not too large, especially dust. Therefore, a popular and economical solution is to use an activated carbon adsorption tower. Activated carbon has the ability to retain most volatile organic compounds, while helping the system to be compact and have low operating costs. A standard system usually includes:
- Gas collection and transmission pipeline.
- The adsorption tower contains activated carbon.
- Exhaust fan.
- Chimney discharges into the environment after being treated to meet standards.
Conclusion
The above article has helped you learn about the process of treating waste gas generated from the plastic injection process. Hopefully our information will be of some help to you. Don't forget to follow the next articles at GREEN IN for more updated information!