Case study of sulfide generation and emission in sanitary sewer with drop structures and pump station

Abstract

Field work was carried out to identify sewer odor hotspots and corresponding causes in a sanitary sewer trunk with drop structures and pump station in Steinhauer area, Edmonton, Canada. Relatively high concentrations of H2S were detected at the beginning and the end of the trunk with odor complaints. At the beginning of the trunk, sulfide emission was mainly caused by the increased stripping effect of the drop structures. The pump operation at the end of the trunk causes the long retention time of the sewage and the subsequent sulfide generation. The sulfide generation was modeled and calibrated using field measurements. The model was applied to assess mitigation strategies, and optimized pump operation was found to be able to reduce sulfide generation in the study trunk sewer.