Sivret E., Le-Minh N., Wang B., Wang X., Stuetz R., 2014, Impact of Sewer Emission Dynamics on Monitoring Campaign Design, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 40, 43-48.
The emission of odorous compounds from sewer collection systems can cause social and environmental impacts on nearby or local receptors resulting in odour annoyance. A field study of short-term sewer emission dynamics was conducted to investigate the impact of sampling design on data accuracy and quality in order to improve odour monitoring design for assessment. Monitoring results indicated a strong diurnal cycle in terms of both odour concentration (OU) as well as the concentration of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). Peak to trough odour concentrations varied by a factor of 1.5, while specific VOC and VSC concentrations had greater variability (peak to trough factors ranging from 2 to 10). 24 hour sampling showed that peak odour and specific odorant concentrations peaked at midnight, indicating that typical sewer sampling during conventional work hours would miss peak odour concentrations and underestimate the loading for odour abatement process design. This observation emphasises the importance of timing and understanding the diurnal emission variability in sample collection from sewer networks. Integrating understanding of sewer operational dynamics (hydraulics and air flow) into monitoring program design is essential to provide robust, representative data to support odour abatement processes design that provides reliable and cost effective odour solutions.
