L. Patria et al., Odour removal with a trickling filter at a small WWTP strongly influenced by the tourism season, WATER SCI T, 44(2-3), 2001, pp. 243-249
Etaples-Le Touquet's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is based on a coasta
l area of the Artois-Picardie region. The pollution load can vary from 20,0
00 p.e. to 60,000 p.e. over a weekend or in summer. The Collectivity and th
e Water Agency decided to cover and ventilate the main odour source points
of the plant. The foul air was directed to a 2,500 m(3)/h inorganic bed bio
filter (Alizair (R)) for odour control. An odour monitoring took place duri
ng the first year of operation taking into account cold and warm seasons, h
igh and low tourism seasons.
The Alizair biofilter appeared an appropriate odour control process for sma
ll sized wastewater treatment plants, easy to operate and efficient even in
areas where tourism seasons have a great impact on the pollution load arri
ving at the plant. The neighbourhood did not complain about odours any more
and the operator was very confident with such a simple and effective syste
m.
The local Authorities and the Water Agency agreed to recommend Alizair biof
ilters with an autotrophic biomass adapted in the case of an old WWTP that
cannot be up graded any more or for large pumping stations and wastewater s
torage prior treatment.