Chemical Solutions for Industrial Odour Control

Industrial odour control refers to the technologies and chemical odour control solutions used to manage and reduce bad smells from industrial systems and processes. These smells can be harmful to people’s health, affect the daily lives of those living nearby, and hurt the environment. It’s important to have good odour control solutions in place to keep your workplace safe and healthy, and prevent problems and complaints from those living nearby.

1. Masking Agents: These substances cover unpleasant odours with a more agreeable scent. However, masking agents are not suitable for situations involving harmful odours, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
2. Scavengers: These compounds neutralize foul odours by chemically converting H2S into a stable compound. They react with the H2S gas, effectively eliminating the odour.
3. Targeting Odour Sources: Many industrial odours, particularly those in wastewater, originate from SRBs. Two distinct odour control solutions target SRBs: Biocides and SourStop. Our Aquaguard 600 series biocides eliminate the bacteria responsible for H2S formation. SourStop fosters the growth of nitrate-reducing and aerobic bacteria, which disrupt the respiration cycle of SRBs and naturally remove sulfides from wastewater.

The appropriate odour control solution depends on your specific process and requirements. In some cases, a combination of these methods may be necessary to achieve optimal odour control.

• the odour source and composition
• its concentration
• budget and maintenance requirements
• and relevant regulations and standards

Consult with an expert in industrial odour control, for custom recommendations and effective solutions that address your facility’s unique requirements.

Yes, in addition to our industrial odour control products, Guardian Chemicals has a large line of specialty chemical products, including cleaners and degreasers, sanitizers and disinfectants, water treatment chemicals, degassing agents and more.

Masking covers an odour with a stronger scent. Neutralising reacts with or binds the odour molecule so it is no longer volatile. Scavenging chemically converts the compound, most often hydrogen sulphide, into a stable non-volatile species. Masking is the wrong answer for anything hazardous, because the hazard is still there.

Both, and the odour stops being a warning at higher concentrations because H2S deadens the sense of smell. Treat it as an exposure control problem first. The smell going away is not evidence the hazard went with it, and any odour programme covering H2S should be built around monitoring, not around what the crew can smell.

Only if it is applied where the odour actually leaves the site. Fence-line complaints usually trace back to a tank, lagoon, vent or transfer point, and treating that source works better than misting a perimeter. We scope the source and the release path before recommending a delivery method.

Yes, with the right chemistry and dose. Some scavengers and oxidisers will hit the biomass if overdosed. The dose should be sized to the sulphide load, not to the tank volume, which is the most common reason a lift station programme costs more than it should.

Direct injection into a liquid stream, vapour-phase misting at a vent or duct, dosing into a tank or lagoon, or batch treatment of a load before transport. The delivery method matters as much as the chemistry, and it is where most underperforming programmes go wrong.

Set a baseline first: H2S readings at the source and at the receptor, complaint counts, or a structured panel assessment. Without a baseline there is no way to tell whether the dose is right, and most sites end up paying for more product than the load needs.

SOURSTOP is our hydrogen sulphide scavenger line, ODOURGUARD covers general industrial odour control, and FOREST FRESH is a counteractant fragrance for nuisance odours where there is no hazard. Which one fits depends on the compound, the phase it is in, and where you can get the chemistry into the stream.

Yes. Those applications need products cleared for the setting and a delivery method that will not put aerosol where people or product are. Tell us the space and the regulatory context and we will confirm the product and the documentation you will need for an audit.

Often, yes. Hydrogen sulphide drives sulphide corrosion in headspaces, sewers and vapour lines, so controlling it protects concrete and metal at the same time as the odour. That second benefit is usually what justifies the programme once the complaint is handled.