Industrial gaseous emissions treatment processes

Protecting human health and the environment means controlling air quality. Indeed, global warming due to the greenhouse effect, or more precisely the recurring example of ozone levels in our cities, has prompted us to take action to reduce the atmospheric pollution generated by human activities. The world conferences of the 1990s enabled public authorities to become aware of the problems and to ratify international treaties for a drastic reduction in the discharge of gaseous atmospheric pollutants. At the end of 2015, the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reminds us of the importance of a reasoned relationship between human activities and our environment.

Various international commitments have been translated into European directives, which in turn have been transposed into French law in the form of decrees. These regulatory obligations must not blind us to the need to take a more proactive approach to reducing air pollution in order to protect human health, particularly that of the most sensitive individuals. Over and above the toxicity of emissions, we also need to integrate the notion of comfort by eliminating the nuisances caused by air pollution, for a better quality of life.

This article provides an overview of processes for treating industrial gaseous emissions. It is divided into five sections, presenting the pollutants involved, regulations, the main pollution control technologies available, industrial applications specific to the main classes of pollutants, and a few emerging processes or those currently under development.