Methods for treating odors

Abstract

There are provided methods for treating a gas having an undesirable odor. The methods comprise contacting the gas with an acidic aqueous oxidizing composition having a pH of about 2.0 to about 3.0 and comprising at least one cation of a metal; a sequestering agent; and H 2 O 2 and submitting the gas and the composition to UV radiation when the gas and the composition are contacting each other, wherein the treatment permits to reduce by at least 60% intensity of the undesirable odor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for treating a gas having an undesirable odor, said method comprising:
 contacting said gas with an acidic aqueous oxidizing composition having a pH of about 2.0 to about 3.0 and comprising at least one cation of a metal chosen from Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Ti, Cr, Ce, Zn, Pd, Mo, and mixtures thereof; sequestering agent chosen from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), oxalic acid, citric acid, glycine, NTA, salicylic acid, sulfosalicylic acid, trithylenetetramine, and mixtures thereof; and H 2 O 2  wherein said contacting includes mixing said gas with said acidic oxidizing composition so as to at least partially dissolve at least one compound contained in said gas into said acidic oxidizing composition, said gas and said acidic oxidizing composition being mixed together in a packed column, and wherein said gas is introduced at a bottom portion of said column and said acidic aqueous composition is introduced at a top portion of said column, said gas and said acidic aqueous composition being mixed together into said column over a predetermined amount of transfer units and   submitting said gas and said composition to UV radiation when said gas and said composition are contacting each other, wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 60% intensity of said undesirable odor, as determined by dynamic olfactometry measurements carried out by a panel of individuals, in which the olfactometer was composed of six beakers in which three test specimens were found, each beaker corresponded to a different dilution level of the odorous gas and wherein in each beaker, a single test specimen diffused odorous air, each of the individuals that made up the panel had to identify, in each beaker, which of the test specimens was diffusing the odorous gas, the data from the panel were compiled and the results were calculated with the aid of a table by using the air dilution and odorous gas flow rates of each of the test specimens.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 70% intensity of said undesirable odor, as determined by dynamic olfactometry measurements been carried out by a panel of individuals. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 80% intensity of said undesirable odor, as determined by dynamic olfactometry measurements been carried out by a panel of individuals. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 85% intensity of said undesirable odor, as determined by dynamic olfactometry measurements been carried out by a panel of individuals. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition comprises Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition comprises Fe 2+ . 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said acidic aqueous oxidizing composition has a pH of about 2.2 to about 2.6. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said sequestering agent is oxalic acid. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said acidic aqueous oxidizing composition comprises HNO 3 . 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said method further comprises contacting said gas with a basic aqueous oxidizing composition. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the gas is treated with the basic aqueous oxidizing composition and then with the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the gas is treated with the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition and then with the basic aqueous oxidizing composition. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the basic aqueous oxidizing composition comprise a cation of a metal chosen from Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Ti, Cr, Ce, Zn, Pd, Mo, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the basic aqueous oxidizing composition has a pH of about 9.3 to about 11.5. 
     
     
         15 . A method for treating a gas having an undesirable odor, said method comprising:
 contacting said gas with an acidic aqueous oxidizing composition having a pH of about 2.0 to about 3.0 and comprising at least one cation of a metal chosen from Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Ti, Cr, Ce, Zn, Pd, Mo, and mixtures thereof; sequestering agent chosen from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), oxalic acid, citric acid, glycine, NTA, salicylic acid, sulfosalicylic acid, trithylenetetramine, and mixtures thereof; and H 2 O 2  wherein said contacting includes mixing said gas with said acidic oxidizing composition so as to at least partially dissolve at least one compound contained in said gas into said acidic oxidizing composition, said gas and said acidic oxidizing composition being mixed together in a packed column, and wherein said gas is introduced at a bottom portion of said column and said acidic aqueous composition is introduced at a top portion of said column, said gas and said acidic aqueous composition being mixed together into said column over a predetermined amount of transfer units and   submitting said gas and said composition to UV radiation when said gas and said composition are contacting each other, wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 60% intensity of said undesirable odor.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said treatment permits to reduce by at least 85% intensity of said undesirable odor, as determined by dynamic olfactometry measurements been carried out by a panel of individuals. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition comprises Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the acidic aqueous oxidizing composition comprises Fe 2+ . 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said acidic aqueous oxidizing composition has a pH of about 2.2 to about 2.6. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said sequestering agent is oxalic acid.