Grid technology used to eliminate foul odor in condominium community

Problem: DMCI Homes developed the resort-inspired Ohana Condominium Community in Arizona. The community was experiencing extreme odor pollution due to a high influent level of BOD in the community’s wastewater treatment system.

Solution: Based on a flow rate of 200 to 350 gpm, Biocleaner installed a pair of two-grid units in the two-tank wastewater treatment system, which had a hydraulic retention time of 13 hours.

Result: The odor was eliminated within three days after installation, and there was a significant reduction in BOD. The community no longer has any odor issues and no longer has to handle sludge. 323/981-0797; www.biocleaner.com.

Town installs wastewater system that also generates electricity

Problem: The northern California town of Graton needed a new wastewater disinfection system that would reduce energy costs.

Solution: The town purchased an X-500 system from Pasteurization Technology Group (PTG). The chemical-free wastewater disinfection system generates on-site electricity. It is part of a project to upgrade the 36-year-old wastewater treatment plant, which serves the town’s 1,700 residents. At less than one-tenth of the total project cost, it can process almost 600,000 gpd.

Result: The system is expected to significantly reduce costs by generating electricity at half the cost of grid power. Graton will also eliminate the costs of purchasing and storing chlorine. 510/357-0562; www.pastechgroup.com.

Vapor diffusion used to treat odors at wastewater plant

Problem: In 2012, the headworks area at the Knob Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Johnson City, Tenn., was identified as a potential source of fugitive nuisance odor emissions. Albert Greenwell, the plant’s operator-in-charge, sought a solution.

Solution: BioTriad Environmental installed a VaporCom system, composed of aluminum, polypropylene and polyethylene for durability and corrosion resistance. The system works by evaporating VaporScent odor neutralizer, composed of natural plant extracts. The system uses no water, synthetic fillers or inactive ingredients; it evaporates clean, will not freeze and so can operate year-round. It uses an invisible waterless vapor that neutralizes fugitive odors on contact.

Result: The vapor diffusion line was mounted around all emission points in the headworks area, so any odors must pass through the neutralizing vapor. The plant received only one odor complaint in 2013, and site management is satisfied. 888/658-7423; www.biotriad.com.

Disinfection program used to combat microbial odor issues

Problem: A 15,000-gallon industrial process-cooling tower at a plastics manufacturer in Rochester, N.Y., had long-standing microbial odor issues due to a leak of lubricating oils into the cooling system.

Solution: EMEC Americas introduced a disinfection program using Sanicide 2. The tower was treated for 10 minutes (approximately one system turn) three times a day at a concentration of 20 ppm.

Result: Over two to three weeks, the tower was completely cleaned. Process heat exchangers that had previously clogged regularly now function without issue, and the customer has seen a significant increase in uptime. The program was expanded to a second system on site. 978/400-5507; www.emecamericas.com.

Pure oxygen system provides primary clarifier odor control

Problem: The Anson-Madison Sanitary District in Maine treats 4 mgd of wastewater from Madison Paper Industries and the communities of Anson and Madison. The treatment facility is located close to neighbors and has been plagued by odor complaints. Wastewater entering the treatment facility is anaerobic and releases levels of hydrogen sulfide gas at an average of 150 ppm, with spikes of 800 ppm. The district began adding calcium nitrate which, while effective in controlling gas, proved too expensive. 

Solution: Woodard & Curran worked with ECO Oxygen Technologies to design a SuperOxygenation System for the primary clarifiers. The goal was to eliminate hydrogen sulfide formation, reduce operating costs and eliminate use of chemicals.

Result: Since it was installed in 2012, the system efficiently adds sufficient pure oxygen to maintain aerobic conditions through the primary clarifiers, preventing hydrogen sulfide formation. The odors have been eliminated, and the district is saving substantial costs. 317/706-6484; www.eco2tech.com.

Compact self-cleaning UV system effectively treats meat-processing wastewater

Problem: High-strength organic loads (up to 820 mg/L CBOD5, 200 mg/L TSS and 86 mg/L oil and grease) generated by Loblaws’ Atlantic Superstore in Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, required the highest level of disinfection to treat up to 4,750 gpd of wastewater.

Solution: The engineering firm F. Meloche Ingénieurs, recommended the Segflo recirculating biotower and Ecoflex polishing biofilter from Premier Tech Aqua, combined with a Hallett 30 tertiary treatment unit from UV Pure for the final stage of effluent disinfection. The system effectively treats flows up to 1 mgd of low-quality (low UV transmittance) wastewater. It prevents operator exposure to wastewater since no manual quartz sleeve cleaning is required.

Result: After three years, the treatment station continually meets strict effluent quality requirements, including less than 5 mg/L CBOD5, less than 7 mg/L TSS, 7.1 pH and 5 cfu/100 mL fecal coliform. 800/632-6356; www.premiertechaqua.com.

Auto-optimized dosing system addresses odor issue

Problem: The Town of Palm Beach, Fla., needed an optimized treatment system for fluctuating force main flows and dissolved sulfide levels at one of its lift stations.

Solution: The town selected Kemira’s Advanced Remote Contaminant Control and Monitoring Technology (RCCMT), a smart technology that uses real-time influent dissolved-sulfide data to consistently auto-optimize a correct chemical dosage on a weight-for-weight basis, taking into account wastewater flow, temperature and pH.

Result: The remotely operated system has lowered overall chemical usage, increased response time, and maintained a consistent level of less than 5 mg/L total dissolved sulfides leaving the injection site. 480/227-4848; www.kemira.com.

Cover system helps city control wastewater odors

Problem: The City of Tulare, Calif., is home to six major dairy producers that send large volumes of high-strength wastewater for treatment. The Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the city council needed to control odors at the treatment plant.

Solution: Geomembrane Technologies designed, manufactured and installed a floating gas-collection cover over the complete 4-acre surface of the city’s ADI-BVF anaerobic digester. The cover is chemical- and UV-resistant to withstand the tough environment of the digester and the California sun. Personnel can walk across the reactor for operations and maintenance, yet the cover is gastight so that it eliminates odors.

Result: The cover collects up to 600,000 cubic feet of biogas per day, enough to generate a significant portion of the plant’s power and reducing reliance on the utility grid. The cover also contains odors and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 855/484-4630; www.gticovers.com.

Biological treatment used to desludge lagoon

Problem: Sludge in Pond No. 1 of a city in Illinois was taking up treatment capacity and causing odors, accumulating to the point where part of the sludge blanket was exposed to the surface, allowing odors to escape. State regulators were also demanding improvements because BOD5 test results were too high.

Solution: The city decided to solve these problems by desludging their lagoons with BIO ENERGIZER from Probiotic Solutions.

Result: After 14 months of treatment, 70 percent of the sludge blanket was removed. “Prior to using BIO ENERGIZER, half my lagoon capacity was lost to sludge. Sludge depth averaged 41 inches,” says the city’s wastewater superintendent. “After using BIO ENERGIZER my average sludge depth dropped to 12 inches.” 800/961-1220; www.probiotic.com.

Mixer stops grease buildup, related odors at pumping station

Problem: The city of Darien, Conn., operates a pumping station to send wastewater to the treatment plant in neighboring Stamford. The station operates within a narrow depth range, with a transducer to signal for pumps to come on and off and floats to back up the transducer. The station had seen heavy grease buildup, sometimes over a foot deep and hard enough to stand on. This fouled the transducer and floats. The operators tried chemicals and mechanical mixers to no avail. Pumping the grease out cost $1,800 per episode.

Solution: Darien installed a PHi one-valve mixer along with an air compressor with receiver tank from Pulsed Hydraulics. The mixing system uses pulses of compressed air to break up grease and prevent formation of grease caps.

Result: Started up after grease removal, the mixer runs 24 hours a day and keeps the grease cap from reforming. Operators are satisfied with the solution, especially the elimination of odor during pumping. 800/641-1726; www.phiwater.com.

Odor control cover needed for large UV basin

Problem: The city of Oconomowoc, Wis., recently completed a $7.2 million expansion of its 37-year-old wastewater treatment facility. Improvements included adding a secondary clarifier, replacing a chlorine disinfection system with UV and increasing biosolids storage. This extended the facility’s lifespan while doubling capacity to 5.5 mgd for some of the major plant components. The city needed odor control infrastructure to meet the increased capacity.

Solution: Engineers at Donohue and Associates specified Strongwell products for three key portions of this project: basin covers, walkways and stairways. COMPOSOLITE was used to make the covers for the large UV basin (20 by 50 feet), with some panels spanning 24 by 60 inches. Each cover panel includes lift handle for easy removal and replacement.

Result: STAAB Construction was pleased with the ease and speed of the installation process. 276/645-8000; www.strongwell.com.

Plant tests reinforce peracetic acid’s high success rate in wastewater treatment

Problem: A wastewater treatment plant in Steubenville, Ohio, needed a cost-effective disinfection method that would not generate chlorinated byproducts.

Solution: Solvay Chemicals conducted independent plant-scale trials using Proxitane WW-12 peracetic acid (PAA) over a little more than one month. PAA, a rapidly acting disinfectant, generates no disinfection byproducts even if overdosed. The dosing system can be economically retrofitted or work in series with an existing disinfection system. The plant was operating at 5 to 8 mgd, with a design capacity of 13.5 mgd.

Result: The test was successful. PAA dosage never exceeded 1.5 ppm, and the residual chlorine averaged 0.4 ppm, never exceeding 1 ppm. PAA feed was flow-paced, CBOD remained constant and pathogen control was always within the permit limits. 800/765-8292; www.solvaychemicals.us.

Upgrade enhances disinfection and odor control

Problem: To meet the projected population increase from 1,160,000 people currently to an estimated 1,571,000 people in 2031, the Region of Peel in Ontario needed to upgrade and expand its Lorne Park Water Treatment Plant.

Solution: For the membrane treatment train, the TrojanUVSwift ECT UV-oxidation system was selected to not only eliminate chlorine-resistant protozoa but to also destroy seasonal odor-causing compounds. It was selected because it offered flexible operation, guaranteed performance and required a small footprint.

Result: The Lorne Park Water Treatment Plant is now home to the largest municipal UV-oxidation installation for odor removal in North America. The plant upgrade was named 2013 Project of the Year by the Ontario Public Works Association. 519/457-3400; www.trojanuv.com.