A Catalytic Exhaust Purifying System for Resturants

As stated in the EPA 2004 Solicitation topic B1, there is a need for new technologies to control restaurant emissions. There are over 870,000 restaurants in the United States. Most of these restaurants have under-fired charbroiler creating a significant amount of partifculate matter and volatile organic compouns which have been determined health and environmental hazareds by the EPA. Although some regulation have been made in Califorinia towards chain driven charbroilers, futher requations on underfired charbroilers have not been imposed. This is because current devices such a chclonic air scrubbers and catalytic filters have found little acceptance because of thris high initial cost, high annual operating cost, short product life cycles, and poor performance. A recenly patended and EPA certified technology bt Clear Skies Unlimited for removing organicx, patriculates, and carbon monoxide from wood combustion provides the opportunity for a low cost, effective solution for removal of similar species from resturatn emissions. We are proposint to combine a filtering and thermal treatment approach using our patented catalytic reticulated ceramic substrates and combustors. We will use the reticulated ceramic substrates as a high volume, high surface area filtering agent ot collect VOCs and particulate matter from the off gas stream. We will then combine this with an automatic filter regeneration system. During the thermal regeneration of the filter, our catalytic combustor will destroy the organics and particulates from the off gas stream. The proposed system will be highly effective in treating restaurant emissions, affordable compared to competing technologies, easily integrated into rooftop ventilation systems, require low maintenfce and hafve an environmentally friendly product life cycle creating very little aound of end of life naterisl fand filled. The catalytic exhause purification system for restaurants will have numerous applicatons in a hostof other industries including composite processing, paint boths, wood-burning kilns, chemical manufacturing and vvirtually any kind of polluted streamlined emissions.