Catalytic and non-catalytic technologies for malodor treatment

Abstract

Malodor induces a serious problem due to its disturbing smell and risk for prolong exposure. Hydrogen sulfide, originating from the decomposition of organosulfur compounds is one of the main sources of malodor. Sewer is the common place to produce this odorous compound. However, the technology for malodor treatment usually requires high temperatures and there has never been an effective solution to overcome such problem in sewer, which has high humidity and ambient temperature. This work presented a two-step solution for the aforementioned problem by applying both catalytic and non-catalytic technologies, which were able to mainly reduce the generation of H₂S from bacteria and convert H₂S into harmless substances. The chosen catalyst, V₂O₅/TiO₂, was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Micro-Raman Spectroscopy to investigate the elements contributing to the conversion of H₂S. Besides, catalytic reaction, air flow and humidity test were carried out to test the performance of the catalyst. The non-catalytic technology using a hydrogel with bactericide was studied via a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test, a laboratory scale flow test, and field tests (in HKUST and Shatin). Both technologies were proven to be effective in reducing the amount of H₂S.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology