• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

Control options for collection system odor

4/30/2018

 
Picture
ORP Meters are a low cost way to track anaerobic zones for odor control programs. Photo from Hanna Instruments.

Collection systems with long residence will have anaerobic zones. Under highly negative redox conditions (no oxygen or nitrate/nitrite present), microorganisms that can utilize sulfate and organics as electron acceptors begin to grow on influent organics. We call these organisms sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and fermentative bacteria. The SRB are responsible for generation of sulfides and H2S, while the fermentative bacteria produce short chain volatile fatty acids. Both cause odors with the sulfide smelling of rotten eggs and the volatile fatty acids having sharp, rancid odors. I will list the most common control methods used in collection systems.
  • Increase pH to neutralize acids and increase sulfide solubility in the water phase.
  • Using iron (FeCl) to bind with sulfides
  • Adjust redox upward (nitrate, hydrogen peroxides, ozone, oxygen diffusers)
  • Sulfide scavengers (such as amine solutions)
  • Odor masking agents
Each option has areas where they are most effective. Often it is best to combine technologies to achieve best odor control at the lowest cost. Before undertaking wide scale odor control, you should sample lift stations and lines to isolate the problem areas (use ORP meter), H2S monitors, and finally organic acid analysis. Once the problem areas are mapped, you can evaluate which technology best suits the area.

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87