What is it about?
Odours emitted by biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may cause a nuisance and negatively impact people’s health. It is possible to tackle this issue using known deodorization technologies such as adsorption, absorption, combustion, catalytic oxidation, and biofiltration. However, applying some of these may lead to secondary pollution, high operating and investment costs, periodic replacing, utilising or regenerating reactor or filter bed, or using expensive catalysts. It is possible to avoid problems of this kind using the compact trickle-bed bioreactor (CTBB) technology to biodegrade odours emitted from WWTPs. A pilot-scale CTBB reactor, with a total volume of 1.07 m3, diameter of 0.8 m and height of 2.13 m, was installed on the premises of a municipal WWTP. At variable parameters of the biodegradation process, odour reduction was investigated using mobile measuring devices to detect hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The factor of H2 S conversion was 71%–97%, and that of VOC conversion was 82%–94% when the gaseous-phase flow rate ranged from 7–30 m3 h–1, at pH = 7 in the liquid-phase. The research results confirm the significant potential of CTBB technology for application in the municipal sector.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because it addresses a common but little-known problem: air pollution caused by unpleasant odours and toxic gases in wastewater treatment plants. What makes it unique is that it is not limited to laboratory studies, but tests the technology directly in real conditions, in a medium-sized municipal plant, with all its daily and seasonal variations. Its approach focuses on a compact, efficient and low environmental impact solution based on the use of specific microorganisms to degrade compounds such as hydrogen sulphide and VOCs. This improves air quality without the need for expensive chemicals or large facilities, representing a cleaner, more practical and scalable alternative for cities seeking to modernise their infrastructure without generating more pollution.
Perspectives
It is particularly gratifying to see how a compact, nature-based solution such as this bioreactor can achieve such high efficiency without relying on harmful chemicals or complex infrastructure. I hope this work will contribute to more sustainable air treatment strategies in urban environments and spark greater interest in practical, biology-based innovations for environmental challenges.
Dr. Ramon Fernando Colmenares Quintero
Fundación Berstic and Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Removal of volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide in biological wastewater treatment plant using the compact trickle bed bioreactor, January 2023, Desalination Publications,
DOI: 10.5004/dwt.2023.29366.
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