Design Considerations for Control of Volatile Organic Compounds at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Getter, Robert; Lager, John; Ionata, Edward; ,

Design Considerations for Control of Volatile Organic Compounds at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

by Robert Getter, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc, Woburn, United States,
John Lager, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc, Woburn, United States,
Edward Ionata, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc, Woburn, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Environmental Engineering

Abstract:

New federal and state regulations require publicly owned treatment works (POTW's) to consider emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) as potentially significant sources of air pollution due to potential health risks. Massachusetts and California, for example, have established concentration-based limits for individual VOC's. State and federal regulations require Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to be applied to any facility identified as a significant VOC emission source, which can be the case for large POTW's. The processes by which VOC's are stripped during wastewater treatment, such as aeration and clarification, are relatively well known. However, characterization of emissions is a difficult problem due to variability in influent characteristics, the large number of VOC's present, and uncertainties relating to biodegradation and generation of VOC's as part of the wastewater treatment processes. Therefore, POTW's generally require special consideration of uncertainties in selecting VOC controls.

Return to search