Turning electronic waste, agricultural byproducts, and process water into environmental wins instead of costs
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Application brief
Recycling and waste repurposing operations run into very different technical problems depending on what they're processing. Shredding electronic waste means safely containing hazardous vapor before it becomes an exposure risk. Turning lumber and agricultural byproducts into biofuel pellets means reducing moisture content precisely enough to hit production and quality targets. A food processor facing a historic drought needs to cut water use without slowing production or compromising quality. Sonic Air Systems' blower and heater-less hot air technology has found its way into all three.
Process requirements
Sonic's patented heater-less Hot Air Knife System delivers a constant 275°F airstream to safely contain mercury vapor during electronics shredding for Electronic Recyclers International, the largest electronic recycling company in the US, at 50% lower operational energy than blowers using in-line heater coils.
A 25 HP heater-less Sonic Industrial Hot Air Dryer, producing 225°F outlet air with no secondary heat source, reduced moisture content in peanut hull and shell biofuel pellet production, helping divert millions of pounds of waste from landfill every month.
Sonic's patented hot air knife technology eliminated water spray de-icing on IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) vegetable conveyor belts, delivering 150°F heated air, helping the largest IQF vegetable processor in the US cut water use during California's worst drought in over a century.
All three systems run on Sonic's heater-less hot air technology, generating warm air from blower heat alone rather than a secondary heating source, which is where most of the energy savings comes from.
Engineering detail
System requirements
Used LCD screens and electronic devices can't go to a landfill in most places, since they risk groundwater and soil contamination, which makes recycling them for precious metals and minerals both an environmental necessity and a financial opportunity. But shredding those devices releases mercury vapor and other pollutants that have to be captured safely. Sonic engineered a centrifugal blower solution using its patented Industrial Air Blower and Hot Air Knife System, delivering a constant 275°F heater-less air stream into the shredder enclosure so mercury vapor could be collected in a hermetically sealed chamber, while other airborne particulates were captured by the customer's multi-stage HEPA filtration system. Sonic's patented heater-less hot air blower technology runs at 50% lower total operational energy than a blower with in-line heater coils, on top of being the first mercury vapor application of its kind for Sonic's centrifugal blowers.
Engineering detail
Converting byproducts like peanut hulls and saw dust into biofuel pellets depends on getting moisture content down to a precise target before the material goes through direct combustion, gasification, or pyrolysis. Sonic supplied a single 25 HP patented heater-less Industrial Hot Air Dryer, using centrifugal blower technology to produce 225°F outlet air with no secondary heat source, and piped it into two rotary conditioner/mixers simultaneously. The result was consistent moisture reduction, improved pellet quality, and a higher production rate, all at a lower energy cost than alternative drying methods.
System requirements
Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) lines spray warm water on the conveyor belt to de-ice it between freezing cycles, using large volumes of water in the process. During California's worst drought in over a century, that water use became a real constraint for the largest IQF vegetable processor in the US. Sonic replaced the water spray entirely with a two-part system: a high-velocity Air Knife System to clear vegetable pieces stuck in the belt's perforations, and a patented hot air knife delivering 150°F high-velocity heated air to warm the belt and prevent ice damage, in place of water, for both in-line and spiral freezer belt washers. The switch cut both water and power usage while holding production levels and product quality steady.
Production proof
Electronic Recyclers International, the largest electronic recycling company in the United States, needed a way to safely contain mercury vapor and other pollutants released during the shredding of used electronic devices, an application with real environmental and worker-safety stakes given the groundwater and soil contamination risks these devices pose in landfills. Sonic engineered a centrifugal blower solution using its patented Industrial Air Blower and Hot Air Knife System, delivering a constant 275°F heater-less air stream into the shredder enclosure so mercury vapor could be safely collected in a hermetically sealed chamber, while other airborne particulates were handled by the customer's multi-stage HEPA filtration system. The heater-less design delivered intrinsically safe heating at 50% lower total operational energy than a blower with in-line heater coils. Full details are in Sonic's published case study, Sonic's Hot Air Knife System Safely Contained Mercury Vapor.
A US-based pellet company converting peanut hulls and shells into biofuel pellets needed to reduce the moisture content of the mulched material precisely enough to hit its production and quality targets for direct combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis applications. Sonic supplied a single 25 HP patented heater-less Industrial Hot Air Dryer, producing 225°F outlet air using Sonic's centrifugal blower technology with no secondary heating source, piped into two conditioners and mixers at once. The customer hit its moisture reduction targets, improved pellet quality, and increased production rate, all while saving on energy costs compared to alternative drying technologies. The project also diverted millions of pounds of peanut hulls and shells per month from landfill, and the customer was satisfied enough to refer a local lumber mill, which went on to purchase a Sonic Hot Air Blower System of its own for pellet production from sawmill waste. Full details are in Sonic's published case study, Sonic Air's Hot Air Blower System Enhances Pellet Production from Peanut Hulls and Shells.
In 2022, during California's worst drought in over a century, the largest Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) vegetable processor in the US, based in the state's Central Valley, needed to cut water consumption without sacrificing production levels or product quality. Its IQF process used a warm water spray to de-ice the conveyor belt between freezing cycles, consuming thousands of gallons of water daily. Sonic replaced the water spray with a two-part solution: a high-velocity Air Knife System to clear vegetable pieces from the belt's perforations, and a patented hot air knife delivering 150°F high-velocity heated air to warm and protect the belt from ice damage instead of water, for both in-line and spiral freezer belt washers. The customer achieved its water conservation and cost-saving objectives, reducing both water and power usage, a solution that remains relevant given ongoing long-term groundwater concerns across the Western US. Full details are in Sonic's published case study, How Sonic Hot Air Knife System Drives IQF Process Water Conservation.
Talk through the application
Tell us the material, the environmental or safety requirement you're working within, and what's currently doing the job, and we will help size the right system.
