Understanding Vapor Scrubbers: Protecting the Environment and Your Bottom Line
In industrial settings where harmful or odorous vapors are released during operations, vapor scrubbers play a critical role in protecting the environment, workers, and surrounding communities. At Envent Corporation, we specialize in advanced vapor scrubber systems that meet stringent environmental regulations while keeping your projects on schedule and in compliance.
What Are Vapor Scrubbers?
Vapor scrubbers, also known as gas scrubbers or air scrubbers, are systems designed to remove pollutants from industrial gas streams. These pollutants can include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), ammonia, chlorine, and other hazardous or odorous vapors. The scrubber works by contacting the contaminated vapor stream with a scrubbing liquid—typically water or a chemical solution—which absorbs or neutralizes the target contaminants.
There are two main types of scrubbers:
Wet Scrubbers – Use a liquid to capture and remove vapor-phase pollutants.
Dry Scrubbers – Use a dry reagent or filter media for absorption or chemical reaction.
Envent’s vapor scrubber systems are designed to provide maximum removal efficiency, often exceeding 99% effectiveness for many contaminants.
Why Use Vapor Scrubbers?
Regulatory agencies such as the EPA and local air quality management districts require strict control of emissions from tanks, pipelines, barges, and other equipment. Failure to control these emissions can lead to costly fines, shutdowns, and environmental damage.
Envent’s vapor scrubber solutions help clients:
Stay in compliance with federal and state emissions regulations.
Minimize odors that impact surrounding communities.
Protect personnel from exposure to hazardous vapors.
Avoid costly downtime and enforcement actions.
Applications of Vapor Scrubbers
Our systems are used across a variety of industries and applications, including:
Tank Cleaning & Degassing: Ensuring safe venting and cleaning of tanks while capturing harmful vapors.
Turnarounds & Maintenance: Providing temporary vapor control during plant shutdowns or upgrades.
Marine & Pipeline Operations: Controlling emissions from barges, ships, and pipeline operations.
Chemical Processing & Refining: Handling corrosive and toxic vapors from production and waste streams.
Why Choose Envent’s Vapor Scrubber Services?
At Envent, we don’t just provide equipment—we deliver turnkey vapor control solutions with unmatched safety, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Our vapor scrubbers are engineered to handle high flow rates, corrosive chemicals, and complex emissions profiles.
Here’s what sets Envent apart:
Custom-Engineered Systems tailored to your project’s flow rate, chemical composition, and compliance requirements.
24/7 Field Support to ensure uptime and safe operation throughout your project.
High-Efficiency Design for VOC, H₂S, and ammonia removal with minimal pressure drop.
Rental & Mobile Units ready for rapid deployment anywhere in North America.
Partner with Envent for Reliable Vapor Control
Whether you’re dealing with a short-term maintenance project or need long-term vapor control, Envent Corporation has the experience, equipment, and expertise to ensure safe and compliant operations. Contact our team today to learn more about how our vapor scrubber solutions can keep your operations running clean and compliant.
New TCEQ Environmental Regulations on VOCs and Thermal Oxidizers: What You Need to Know
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has rolled out new regulations affecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and thermal oxidizers. These updates are designed to improve air quality standards statewide and ensure industrial facilities operate responsibly.
🔥 VOC Control and Thermal Oxidizer Requirements
TCEQ now requires thermal oxidizers used for VOC control to achieve at least 95% destruction efficiency. Key points include:
Continuous Monitoring: Systems must record combustion chamber temperatures.
Performance Standards: Temperatures must meet a 3-hour average based on initial performance testing.
Calibration: Monitoring equipment must be calibrated annually and maintain accuracy within ±5°F.
For catalytic oxidizers, both inlet and outlet catalyst bed temperatures must be continuously monitored to ensure consistent operation.
📊 Emissions Inventory & Reporting Updates
Facilities are now required to use updated emissions inventory (EI) forms for:
Internal combustion engines
Glycol dehydration units
Storage tanks
TCEQ has also launched the Air Emissions and Inspection Fee (AEIF) program, which is now handled via the STEERS online system. This digital tool helps streamline submissions and improve compliance.
🛠️ Permitting and Compliance Requirements
Thermal oxidizers must meet enhanced performance standards:
Firebox exit temperature: Minimum 1,400°F
Residence time: At least 0.5 seconds
Additionally, systems must comply with §106.493(2) and (3) of the Texas Administrative Code, specific to direct flame incinerators. Meeting these criteria is essential for permitting.
🚫 Monitoring Exemptions
TCEQ has clarified exemptions for vents that:
Emit colorless VOCs
Release non-fuming liquids
Are incapable of producing visible emissions
These sources may not require continuous monitoring if deemed low risk for environmental impact.
✅ Final Thoughts
Staying compliant with TCEQ’s updated environmental regulations is crucial—not just for avoiding fines, but for demonstrating your facility’s commitment to air quality and responsible operations.
In today’s energy sector, minimizing environmental impact while maintaining operational efficiency is paramount. Envent Corporation stands at the forefront of this mission, offering state-of-the-art Pipeline Evacuation and Natural Gas Cross Compression services designed to meet the industry’s evolving needs.
Innovative Solutions for Pipeline Maintenance
Envent’s mobile natural gas compression services—also known as cross compression or recompression—are engineered to safely remove methane from pipeline sections requiring maintenance, servicing, or hydrostatic testing. Traditionally, operators would vent or flare methane, leading to environmental concerns and product loss. Envent’s approach captures and reintroduces this valuable resource back into the active pipeline, aligning with best practices and regulatory standards.
State-of-the-Art Mobile Compression Units
At the heart of Envent’s service is a fleet of advanced mobile compressors, featuring Caterpillar engines, Ariel compressors, and proprietary safety systems. These units are designed to reduce pipeline pressure from 1400 PSIG to below 5 PSIG within hours, facilitating safe and efficient maintenance operations. All equipment complies with ASME code standards and is operated by OQ-certified professionals, ensuring top-tier performance and safety.
Compliance with PHMSA Mega Rule
In response to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Mega Rule, which mandates enhanced pipeline safety measures, Envent’s services offer a compliant solution. By employing cross compression techniques, Envent helps operators meet regulatory requirements while achieving net-zero methane emissions—a significant step toward environmental stewardship.
Rapid Deployment Across North America
With strategically located offices throughout North America, Envent ensures rapid mobilization to job sites, providing timely support for both planned and emergency maintenance activities. This nationwide reach underscores Envent’s commitment to responsive and reliable service delivery.
A Legacy of Environmental Excellence
Since 1992, Envent Corporation has been a trusted partner in the oil and gas industry, delivering innovative solutions that prioritize safety, compliance, and environmental responsibility. Their comprehensive suite of services—including degassing, vapor control, and water treatment—reflects a deep understanding of industry challenges and a dedication to sustainable operations.
For more information about Envent’s Pipeline Evacuation and Natural Gas Cross Compression services: Envent Corporation Services.
Envent Corporation addresses this critical need with its cutting-edge Mobile Marine Vapor Recovery Systems, offering a portable, efficient, and compliant solution for managing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
On April 9, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new rule targeting hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from chemical plants. This rule specifically addresses emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO) and chloroprene, among other Hazardous Air Pollutants, aiming to improve air quality and protect public health.
Key Points of the New Rule:
Compliance Deadlines:
Facilities must reduce EtO emissions within two years of the rule’s effective date.
Chloroprene emissions must be reduced within 90 days.
Affected Equipment and Processes:
The rule impacts synthetic organic chemicals production, polymers and resins production, including neoprene.
Approximately 200 plants nationwide will need to comply.
Stricter Emission Controls:
Enhanced standards for flares, heat exchange systems, process vents, and storage vessels.
Emissions control must now be maintained during startup, shutdown, and malfunction periods.
Fenceline Monitoring:
Required for facilities handling any of six specified air toxics, including EtO and chloroprene.
Monitoring for chloroprene at neoprene production facilities must start within 90 days; for others, within two years.
Quarterly data submissions to the EPA will be made public.
Action Levels:
Specific annual average concentration limits are set for each chemical.
For EtO, the action level is 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
Chloroprene has dual action levels: 0.8 micrograms (general compliance) and 0.3 micrograms (neoprene facilities).
The EPA’s new rule underscores the commitment to reducing harmful emissions and protecting communities near chemical plants. Stay tuned for more updates as the Hazardous Air Pollutants rule comes into effect and compliance efforts begin.
Feel free to reach out with any questions about how this new regulation might impact your operations or for assistance in ensuring compliance.
WASHINGTON – Today, April 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule that will significantly reduce toxic air pollution from chemical plants, including ethylene oxide and chloroprene. EPA’s action will advance President Biden’s commitment to environmental justice by slashing more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year, dramatically reducing the number of people with elevated cancer risk due to toxic air pollution in communities surrounding plants covered by the rule. Once implemented, the rule will reduce both EtO and chloroprene emissions from covered processes and equipment by nearly 80%. A requirement for these facilities to conduct fenceline monitoring for key toxic chemicals is included, and EPA will make the data publicly available to better inform and safeguard nearby communities.
Today’s action is the latest in recent weeks to protect communities from EtO pollution, following a final rule to dramatically reduce EtO emissions from commercial sterilization facilities. Both rules advance the Biden Cancer Moonshot, a commitment to ending cancer as we know it, while advancing environmental justice in communities overburdened by toxic chemicals.
Today’s final rule delivers critical health protections for communities that Administrator Michael Regan visited as part of his Journey to Justice tour.
“President Biden believes every community in this country deserves to breathe clean air. That’s why I took the Journey to Justice tour to communities like St. John the Baptist Parish, where residents have borne the brunt of toxic air for far too long,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “We promised to listen to folks that are suffering from pollution and act to protect them. Today we deliver on that promise with strong final standards to slash pollution, reduce cancer risk, and ensure cleaner air for nearby communities.”
“By issuing strong clean air standards and requiring companies to monitor pollution at the fenceline, the Biden-Harris Administration is protecting communities from toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and ensuring people know what is in their air. This critical step advances President Biden’s commitment to environmental justice for overburdened communities and will help keep children safe from toxic chemical exposure,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.
“This announcement is a monumental step towards safeguarding public health and the environment. By slashing over 6,200 tons of toxic air pollutants annually and implementing fenceline monitoring, this addresses health risks in surrounding communities and promotes environmental justice in states like Louisiana. With a substantial reduction of nearly 80% in emissions from covered sources, this is a significant stride towards protecting current and future generations from the harmful effects of these carcinogenic chemicals and demonstrates a path forward for communities and industry to coexist,” said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02).
“Today marks a victory in the pursuit for environmental justice, with the final rule poised to significantly reduce the toxic air pollution that harms communities in Texas’s Gulf Coast, Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, and throughout the U.S.,” said Earthjustice Vice President for Healthy Communities Patrice Simms. “Setting protective air standards for over 200 chemical plants and requiring fenceline monitoring for some of the most toxic emissions shows a commitment to protecting public health. We look forward to the EPA’s swift implementation and rigorous enforcement of this critical rule.”
Today’s action applies to certain equipment and processes at about 200 plants that make synthetic organic chemicals and a variety of polymers and resins, including neoprene. Once implemented, it will reduce both EtO and chloroprene emissions from covered processes and equipment by nearly 80%. Long-term exposure to these two chemicals can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer. EPA also expects the rule to better protect children, who are more exposed and more susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals including EtO and chloroprene.
The rule also reduces additional air toxics, such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. By cutting emissions of these chemicals, the rule will reduce the risks of developing cancer from breathing in toxic air pollutants. In addition, the rule will reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 23,700 tons a year.
The final rule will provide critical public health protections for overburdened communities near covered plants. When EPA proposed the rule, it conducted a first-of-its-kind community risk assessment to provide the public with the best possible information about existing health risks from air toxics exposure and how the proposal would affect them. That assessment examined the air toxics-related risks from all large facilities in communities within about six miles of the plants – including facilities that would not be covered by the rule – to provide a more complete picture of the air toxics-related risk in these communities. The assessment showed that the rule would reduce the number of people who have elevated air toxics-related cancer risk by 96% in those communities – and the final delivers those reductions.
Requirements in the final rule are largely the same as what EPA proposed. However, the agency made several changes to proposed requirements in response to public comments.
The final rule includes a fenceline monitoring requirements for covered processes and equipment that make, use, store or emit EtO, chloroprene, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride or vinyl chloride, as proposed, but modifies the compliance deadlines to implement these requirements. EPA had proposed to require monitoring to begin one year after the effective date of the rule. For fenceline monitoring at synthetic organic chemical manufacturing plants, the agency is setting a deadline of two years in response to comments that facilities and laboratories need additional preparation time to begin the monitoring programs. For neoprene production sources, EPA is setting a 90-day deadline for beginning fenceline monitoring of chloroprene emissions.
For all six pollutants, owners and operators must find the source of the pollution and make repairs if annual average air concentrations of the chemicals are higher than a specified action level at the fenceline. The action levels vary depending on the chemical.
To ensure the results of fenceline monitoring are available to communities, EPA will make the monitoring data publicly available on its WebFIRE webpage. The fenceline monitoring provisions in the final rule are modeled on similar Clean Air Act requirements for petroleum refineries first established in 2015, which have been historically successful in identifying and reducing benzene emissions.
EPA is also working to reduce emissions from other sources of EtO, including from chemical plants that produce polyether polyols, and taking additional actions to address EtO emissions and advance EtO research, such as:
Investigating additional sources of EtO (e.g., stand-alone warehouses) and opportunities for emissions controls.
Enforcing existing regulations as appropriate.
Conducting research to better understand and measure EtO.
Exciting News! 🌟 Envent is proud to join forces with the EPA Natural Gas STAR Program as a listed service provider, showcasing our commitment to reducing methane emissions. With over 30 years of expertise, Envent stands as the top choice for degassing & vapor control, odor control, mobile wastewater treatment, and natural gas cross-compression services. 🌿💨 Trust us to deliver sustainable solutions for a cleaner, greener future! 🌎🛢️
Founded in 1992, Envent is the NATIONS #1 PROVIDER of mobile degassing and water treatment services. We own the BEST SAFETY RECORD in the industry, and WE GUARANTEE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE on each of our jobs. Operating from coast to coast, we have emergency crews available 24/7/365.
Envent operates the LARGEST BACT-CERTIFIED FLEET in the industry, from degassing units to mobile scrubbers. We match our equipment to meet specific USCG, AQMD,NSPS, NESHAP, MSS & TACT 115 requirements. For high destruction efficiency (99.9%), our mobile thermal oxidizer units combust vapors at 1400 degrees F, even in low LEL vapor space. For Truck loading, sphere tanks, ship loading and tank refloats, our direct fire combustors SAVE YOU MONEY on every job!
You can only trust Envent to give you that PEACE OF MIND that comes from working with the #1 company in the industry!
