Odor Control

J o h n s C r e e k E n v i r on m e n t a l C a m p u s

Wastewater creates a significant amount of odor. The JCEC’s state-of-the art odor control system is one of the
unique features of the facility that allows it to blend in so well with the surrounding community. All air that is
in contact with wastewater or residuals at the facility is sent to the odor control system. The most odorous areas
such as the influent pump station, screen areas and primary clarifiers have air collected and sent to chemical wet
scrubbers where sodium hypochlorite and caustic soda are used to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other
odorous gasses. The air from this system as well as the air from all of the other areas flows into numerous large
towers filled with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). When the air passes through the carbon, it is filtered
and odor causing compounds are absorbed by the carbon. Periodically the carbon can be flushed with water to
regenerate the GAC.
In order to prevent odors from escaping the basins, all of the tanks and channels are covered aluminum covers.
Throughout the facility you will see numerous white pipelines. These are actually fiberglass ducts that carry the
odorous air from the various basins to the odor control scrubbers and GAC vessels for treatment.

Covers on the basins contain all odors while fiberglass ductwork Treatment includes the use of GAC
conveys the odorous air for treatment and chemical wet scrubbers

The JCEC has one of the Odor Control Process Design Parameters
most advanced odor
control systems in the Number of Wet Scrubbers 2
Southeast USA
3-stage caustic and hypochlo-
Type
rite

Air Rate Treated by Wet Scrubbers 26,000 cfm

Number of GAC Towers 7 (6 duty / 1 standby)

Air Rate Treated by GAC 164,000 cfm