Mercaptan Odorants Natural gas is odorless, so by law the natural gas industry adds mercaptan, an odorant to enable end-users detect a natural gas leak. Mercaptan is a stable gas and is used primarily for safety reasons. The odorant is added through the use of special odorant tanks of varying size and capacity. As routine maintenance occurs on a natural gas system, these odorant tanks are replaced. For years the disposal of these tanks were a concern of natural gas companies, as even when dry the tanks still emitted a significant odor.
Many companies simply store the tanks, waiting for a viable disposal option.
Fortunately that viable option has now arrived due to Material Resource Recovery's unique and innovative odorant treatment process. The process of extracting the mercaptan from the tanks involves heating the containers to sufficient temperatures and the removal of sulphur oxide gases that are formed during this process. The metal remains are then recycled. An odorant tank prior to entering the car bottom furnace.