New chemistry for odor removal

Emerging chemistry for odor removal includes oxidizers, more sophisticated pairing agents, and pairing agent/crystallizing hybrids. So where do these products fit into the odor control chemical line up? Let’s take a look.

Sealing agents form a barrier to isolate the odorous material and lock it out of your living environment. Be sure the product you choose forms a barrier that is impermeable by gas vapor on the surface you are treating.

Viable enzyme cultures destroy odorous material through metabolic reactions that change it to primarily methane and water. Re-constituted enzyme cultures may not perform as well as cultures that remain in their natural, self-produced wetting agents.

Oxidizing agents combat odor by reacting with the material and changing it to primarily carbon dioxide and water. For best results, choose the product that gives you a controlled oxidation over a longer period instead of aggressive oxidation in a short period of time.

Pairing agents bond to an odorous molecule, changing it to a non-odorous substance. This chemistry functions on a one-to-one basis — one molecule of product per molecule of odorous material — so match your application to the quantity of contamination.

Hybrid chemistry combines pairing agents with embrittling agents to effectively neutralize odorous material and lock it away in a crystalline structure. These synergistic formulations reduce the volatility of any odors that were not matched one-to-one with the pairing agent, and eliminate the sticky residue that may remain from the contamination after your job is complete.

All truly effective and permanent methods are going to accomplish one thing: Removing or isolating the odorous substance causing the problem. The new and emerging technologies in odor removal provide the powerful tools to successfully accomplish this feat.

Clint Townsend is president of CTI, Rancho Cordova, California.