Applying odor control technologies using reliability and sustainability criteria – examples of full-scale outcomes

Odor abatement technologies have been widely reviewed and their optimal range of application and performance has been reasonably well established. Selection criteria, mainly driven by process economics, are usually based on air flow, inlet concentrations and the required removal efficiency. However, these criteria are shifting with sustainability, social and environmental issues becoming as important as process economics. A recent paper demonstrates how to quantify the sustainability and robustness of odor control technology in the context of odor control at wastewater treatment plants. This paper presents the results from three case studies of large scale odor control facilities that used robustness and sustainability evaluation techniques to influence the design and implementation of the overall technical solution. The implementation has resulted in relatively low odor emissions, improved robustness and relatively low operating costs. It also illustrates that no one technology is suitable for all applications with regard to the economic, robustness and sustainability criteria evaluated.