Apparatus for treating waste water oxidation ponds to abate malodors

摘要

A process and an apparatus for treating waste water in oxidations ponds, oxidation ditches, or other bodies of water in a waste water treatment facility to abate the malodors caused by the presence of volatile contaminants. In the process, a water stream is withdrawn from the body of waste water and contacted with an air stream in an air-water contact apparatus. The water stream is thereby aerated and stripped of potentially odor causing volatile contaminants and an off-gas stream is produced containing the stripped volatile contaminants. At least a portion of the aerated and stripped water stream is returned to the body of waste water to inhibit anaerobic decomposition of organic impurities. The off-gas stream is passed through a fixed bed type biofilter comprising a porous filter bed provided with appropriate microorganisms so that the volatile contaminants in the off-gas stream come into contact with the microorganisms and are biologically metabolized into environmentally innocuous substances rather than being emitted into the ambient air.