Activated carbon odour control for Philippine wastewater sites

Challenge

The source describes growing attention from local and national authorities in the Philippines toward odour nuisance. Several sewage and industrial wastewater applications required odour treatment systems.

The challenges differed by site. Ilugin required odour treatment for main odour sources such as inlet works, sludge works and an equalisation tank with variable operating conditions. University Philippines required treatment of foul air from both new and existing STP facilities. San Miguel Brewery required compact odour control units for anaerobic wastewater treatment plants.

Solution

For Ilugin STP, Ipec supplied a 15,000 m³/h odour control system with duty-standby fans and a horizontal activated carbon system. A separate unit for the equalisation tank was designed for a variable flow range of 10,000 to 30,000 m³/h, using three frequency-controlled fans.

The activated carbon was water-regenerable catalytic carbon, selected for H₂S and mercaptan removal. The source also states that ammonia removal was tested successfully in Ipec’s laboratory during the design stage. The carbon vessel design allowed continued operation during regeneration.

At University Philippines, two odour control units of 2,600 m³/h and 2,200 m³/h were provided. For two San Miguel Brewery sites, Ipec constructed 1,500 m³/h skid-assembled activated carbon systems, pre-assembled, wired and tested before shipment.

Result

The projects show how activated carbon odour control can be applied across different wastewater contexts, from large sewage treatment plants to industrial anaerobic treatment. The skid-assembled design used for San Miguel was intended to simplify installation and reduce site work.