Odours in Sewerage—A Description of Emissions and of Technical Abatement Measures

Abstract

Malodorous compounds arise at practically every stage of wastewater management, starting from the sewer network, via the technological sewage-treatment system, through to the sludge-management stage. The formation of hydrogen sulphide is a significant problem even while sewage remains in sewers, as anaerobic conditions prevalent in the network are conducive to wastewater putrefaction, and therefore contribute to increased malodorous emissions. The development of such anaerobic conditions is favoured by the oversizing of conduits or designs that feature inadequate gradients, causing wastewater in the network to stagnate. Where emissions to the air from wastewater occur, they are found to constitute a complex mixture of perhaps even 1000 different substances, produced under varying process conditions. Among those present are compounds of sulphur and nitrogen, chlorinated compounds, and other organics. In Poland, the issue of odour annoyance has not yet been subject to standardisation in either legal or methodological terms. Indeed, as only 11 EU Member States have regulations in place regarding air-quality standards, it is likely that such a law will soon be developed to try and resolve problems with odour annoyance, including those originating in the systems dealing with wastewater. This denotes a need to develop methods of counteracting the formation of odours, and those of a chemical nature are regarded as among the most effective, hence their growing popularity. They also abide by green-technology principles. Against that background, this article seeks to consider the process by which malodorous substances arise in sewer and wastewater-treatment systems, as well as to discuss methods of odour abatement. The work also presents the current legal regulations of relevance to the issue.

Impact of a Modified Fenton Process on the Degradation of a Component Leached from Microplastics in Bottom Sediments

“…According to Bokare and Choi (2014) [19], at pH = 6, most Fe 3+ ions are in the form of Fe(OH) 3 and Fe(OH) 2+ . The presence of a chelating agent allows for retention of the Fe 3+ ions formed in the course of the Fenton reaction, or introduced in a dissolved form at a higher pH.…”

“…While these are varied, a common feature is their generation of hydroxyl radicals (HO·) capable of reacting with almost all organic compounds. Due to the high efficiency they achieve in degrading most organic pollutants, oxidation methods are now seen increasingly as the most promising alternative methods of purification or decontamination to be set against so-called conventional methods [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”

Preface: Special Issue on Air Quality Assessment for Environmental Policy Support: Sources, Emissions, Exposures, and Health Impacts

“…Pochwat and collaborators [14] shifted to a different type of problem: their article discussed the process by which malodorous substances arise and may be emitted from sewage-treatment systems, the current legal regulations of relevance to the issue, and discussed methods of odor abatement.…”

An Analysis of Stormwater Management Variants in Urban Catchments

“…An increase of social and logistical problems and the deterioration of the natural environment are negative consequences of urbanization [4][5][6]. In order to ensure the maintenance of the living standards that are expected by residents, who are increasing in number, it is necessary to properly maintain, operate [7,8], and modernize a city's infrastructure [9,10] and to implement such in accordance with the principles of sustainable development [11,12]. In many cases, urban development is constrained by the possibilities of municipal infrastructure, especially the one used to drain wastewater and stormwater [13,14].…”