"We came in at less than 20 percent of the particulate standards, which allows plenty of room to ensure ongoing compliance," says Steve Edris, president of Thermafiber.

As a part of the oxidizer system, two 25,000-acfm pulse-jet baghouses, with associated duct work for controlling particulate emissions, were insulated with the company's own thermal-resistant, chemically inert Thermafiber mineral wool insulation. In addition, a custom filter using the mineral wool board was created for prefilter installation ahead of the 19,820 scfm regenerative thermal oxidizer. The filter was designed so it could be changed online without stopping production. Similarly, to avoid production downtime, the two cupola baghouses have a five-compartment design, and their filters can be changed without disrupting production.

To keep the system operating smoothly well into the future, Thermafiber required fabrication from stainless steel. While the up-front cost is more, the company says the long-term benefit is worth it.