Emission characteristics and assessment of odors from sludge anaerobic digestion with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment in a wastewater treatment plant

Han, Zhangliang; Li, Ruoyu; Shen, Hanzhang; Qi, Fei; Liu, Baoxian; Shen, Xiue; Zhang, Lin; Wang, Xiaoju; Sun, Chuanfeng

Emission characteristics and assessment of odors from sludge anaerobic digestion with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment in a wastewater treatment plant

2021

Anaerobic digestion (AD) with thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment (THP) is an effective sludge treatment method which provides several advantages such as enhanced biogas formation and fertilizer production. The main limitation to THP-AD is that hazardous odors, including NH₃ and volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), are emitted during the sludge treatment process. In order to develop strategies to eliminate odors, it is necessary to identify the key odors and emissions sites. This study identified production of NH₃ (741.60 g·dry sludge t⁻¹) and VSCs (277.27 g·dry sludge t⁻¹) during sludge AD after THP, and measured emissions in each of the THP-AD sludge treatment sites. Odor intensity, odor active values, permissible concentration-time weighted average, and non-carcinogenic risks were also assessed in order to determine the sensory impact, odor contribution, and health impacts of NH₃ and VSCs. The results revealed that odor pollution existed in all of the test sites, particularly in the sludge pump room and pre-dehydration workshop. NH₃, H₂S, and methyl mercaptan caused very strong odors, and levels of NH₃ and H₂S were enough to impact the health of on-site employees.

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