Design and Operation of Large Scale Biotrickling Filters for Odor Control At Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Controlling hydrogen sulfide emissions from wastewater treatment facilities can be a major undertaking. Many chemically based methods are available to remove hydrogen sulfide. However, these methods require absorbents that must be replaced or regenerated, involve the use of hazardous chemicals that are quickly consumed, or are complex systems that are difficult to manage. An alternative economical and effective method for scrubbing foul air is using microorganisms present in a biotrickling filter system.The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Districts) have been in the process of covering, enclosing and capturing emissions from the primary wastewater treatment area at its largest wastewater treatment facility, the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP), over the last few years. Once an effective containment system was put into place, many of the covered areas were ventilated to create a slight vacuum under the covers to keep odors from emanating out. To deal with the dominant odorous compound present from these locations, hydrogen sulfide, a large biotrickling filter system was developed and designed by the Districts. The biotrickling filter system was constructed to handle 60,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of air from the inlet headworks, grit chambers and aerated channels in the primary treatment area of the facility.