Odour Control

Services - Odour Control

Opus DaytonKnight can assess your odour control requirements and provide recommendations on a variety of odour mitigation methods.

Odour treatment may be required for any treatment plant and is often subject to climatic conditions and siting. Opus DaytonKnight has the expertise and experience in controlling and correcting odour problems in wastewater treatment processes.

To Left: Odour Control - Wet Chemical Scrubber at City of Salmon Arm WPCC

The main types of odour problems generated in wastewater treatment facilities are:

Hydrogen Sulphide (rotten egg smell),
Dimethyl Sulphide (rotten vegetable smell),
Methyl Mercaptan (rotten cabbage or garlic smell),
Dimethyl Disulphide (rotten organic matter smell) and
Ammonia.

Some of the methods that Opus DaytonKnight utilizes in controlling odour are:

Odour surveys - air quality measurements, soap bubble tests, and smoke bomb testing;
Chemical addition (ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, sodium hypochlorite);
Chemical masking agents;
Covering and venting of structures;
Septage dilution techniques;
Biological scrubber towers (nitrifying and/or caustic);
Trickling filter media for use as a biological scrubber;
Compost biofilters (for scrubbing wastewater treatment process offgases and sewage pumping station wet well offgases);
Exhaust ducting and stacks
Ozone generation for vapour phase oxidation.

Typical Odour Quality Objectives

Standard	H₂S Concentration	Significance
SHE, WCB Appendix A	15 ppm 10 ppm	Allowable Worker Exposure up to 15 minutes Allowable Worker Exposure up to 8 hours
Emissions after treatment	< 0.1 ppm	Treatment Objective
Property Line	< 0.005 ppm	10 X Olfactory Threshold
Olfactory Threshold	0.00047 ppm (0.47 ppb)	(not yet measurable with meter)

The olfactory threshold is the concentration of substance that is recognizable by a lay person to be present where no presence was recognizable before its introduction
Allowable ammonia concentrations for worker exposure are 25 ppm for eight hours and 35 ppm for 15 minutes.

For more information on Opus DaytonKnight's capabilities and experience on odour control, please visit our Projects page or contact:

Mr. John Boyle (John.Boyle@opusdaytonknight.com), P.Eng.

Mr. Harlan Kelly (Harlan.Kelly@opusdaytonknight.com), P.E, P.Eng.