In the March/April 2021 issue of Specialty Chemicals Magazine, Anue Water Technologies CEO, Paul Turgeon, and VP and General Manager, Greg Bock, show how sustainable oxygen and ozone help improve safety and decrease costly equipment damage as a odor and corrosion control water treatment.
To read the full article in Specialty Chemicals Magazine click here.
Continue below for highlights from the article:
Why We Need Wastewater Odor and Corrosion Control Water Treatment
It’s no surprise that wastewater systems have been subject to issues with odor and corrosion given the nature of what they do. While odor is the driving force behind Anue Water’s goal of implementing control in these systems, corrosion has the greatest potential for environmental harm. If it’s not put under control quickly, corrosion can cause severe economic damage such as burst pipes and other system failures.
Not only does this require replacement of system equipment, but it can expose the environment to hazardous waste that is difficult, and in some cases even impossible, to repair. Needless to say, wastewater odor and corrosion control is necessary to keep our environment safe.
The Dangers of H2S
In the article, Turgeon and Bock state “A major contributor to odor and corrosion in industrial systems is hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and its associated compounds.” This colorless gas is highly toxic and corrosive to certain metals and since it’s heavier than air, it can accumulate in wells, manholes and other areas with low ventilation.
“(H2S) can then be released into the atmosphere and find its way to receptors through junctions of the atmosphere and collection systems at which it is an odor concern.” It’s at this point, Turgeon and Bock say, H2S becomes a corrosion issue as it contacts moist concrete or steel in the presence of oxygen.
Odor and Corrosion Control Water Treatment Options
According to Turgeon and Bock, the conventional classes of reactions used to control H2S are:
- Chemical oxidation through the use of a compound with a high oxidation potential, called an oxidant, such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
- Sulfide scavengers (iron salts), which interact with H2 and sequester the sulfur into a relatively insoluble form removing it from the cycle entirely.
- Adjusting the pH. H2S will not be released from wastewater if the pH is at a 9 or above because of the way that its ions dissociate in the aqueous phase.
Another alternative is to use an oxygen source and a sulfate substitute, so a benign nitrogen is released instead such as commercially available chemicals like calcium or sodium nitrate for the treatment of wastewater.
Oxygen and Ozone Wastewater Odor Control
To better control odor and corrosion in wastewater, Turgeon and Bock say introducing ozone and oxygen into wastewater systems is one answer. “Because of its extreme instability and high oxidation potential, ozone is both powerful and indiscriminate in terms of reactivity with other chemical species. It has been shown to be an effective treatment for the destruction of volatile organic compounds; removal of metals, total suspended solids and organic carbon; and significant reductions to chemical oxygen demands.”
Interestingly, in freshwater, the half-life of ozone is only about 10-20 minutes. However, in wastewater, it is entirely consumed in a mere 8.6 seconds because of the extreme number of potential reactants found in wastewater including H2S. H2S’ simple structure makes it the perfect target for oxidation by ozone.
Combining Oxygen and Ozone
According to Turgeon and Bock, “Because of the way ozone is produced, oxygen is necessarily going to be part of the treatment gas cocktail when using it.” This is beneficial because oxygen is also an oxidizer and since it reacts slower than ozone, they’re a perfect complement to one another.
Turgeon and Bock add that “oxygen’s other primary benefit is increasing the dissolved oxygen concentration of the wastewater, encouraging growth of aerobic bacteria, which do not create compounds that are odorous, corrosive or otherwise harmful to collection systems. It also eliminates the ability of SRB to produce sulfides, either by removing it entirely or promoting the growth of aerobic species that will oxidize any sulfides before they enter the wastewater stream.”
Because of this, oxygen and ozone combined are at the top of the list of green methods to treat and prevent odor and corrosion in collection systems as the best treatment of wastewater.
Wastewater Treatment Company, Anue Water Technologies
To learn more about Anue Water Technologies odor and corrosion control, visit our applications page.
Anue Water Technologies is the leading innovative wastewater treatment company. We provide eco-friendly solutions for odor and corrosion in wastewater. Our proprietary technology and custom engineering provides highly effective solutions to eliminate corrosion, odor and FOG while providing cost-savings and reducing economic damage.
To learn more about odor and corrosion control water treatment, visit our website or contact us today to see how we can serve you.
