PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION FOR VOC RECOVERY AT GASOLINE LOADING TERMINALS

Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from gasoline storage and di stribution facilities are coming under increased scrutiny in both the United States and Europe. The recently passed European Community stage I directive for gasoline emissions has established an emissions limit of 35 grams total organic compounds (TOC) per cubic meter gasoline lo aded (35 g TOC/m(3)). Similarly, the United States Environmental Prote ction Agency Standard 40 CFR Part 63 has established an emission limit of 10 mg TOC per liter of gasoline loaded (10 g TOC/m(3)). The German TA-Luft standard, the most stringent known gasoline emission regulati on, has set an emissions limit of 150 mg TOC (excluding methane) per c ubic meter of loaded product (0.15 g TOC/m(3)). The Dow Chemical Compa ny has successfully applied the SORBATHENE Solvent Vapor Recovery Uni t technology, a pressure swing adsorption process, to meet these incre asingly stringent gasoline and light hydrocarbon vapor emission standa rds. Working through technology licensees (Radian International LLC, A ustin Texas and McTay Engineering Bromborough, United Kingdom), a fiel d trial demonstrating 99 + % recovery efficiencies has been conducted at a major U.S. gasoline storage and distribution terminal, and the fi rst commercial SORBATHENE gasoline vapor recovery unit has been instal led at a major storage and distribution terminal in Leeds, United King dom.