ISO 23139:2023

Biological equipment for treating air and other gases - Requirements and application guidance for deodorization in wastewater treatment plants

This document specifies the requirements and application guidance for biological deodorization systems in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The specific requirements include odour gas characterization, process selection, equipment manufacture and installation, start-up and operation, performance evaluation, security and secondary pollution control. The guidance can help the development and maintenance of biological deodorization systems in WWTPs and benefits the owners and operators of WWTPs.

Équipements biologiques pour le traitement de l'air et autres gaz — Guide d'application pour la désodorisation dans les stations d'épuration des eaux usées

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 03-Aug-2023
• ICS: 91.140.30 - Ventilation and air-conditioning systems
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 142 - Cleaning equipment for air and other gases
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 142/WG 13 - Biological equipment for waste gas treatment
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 04-Aug-2023
• Due Date: 01-Oct-2023
• Completion Date: 04-Aug-2023

Overview

ISO 23139:2023 - "Biological equipment for treating air and other gases - Requirements and application guidance for deodorization in wastewater treatment plants" provides international requirements and practical guidance for design, manufacture, commissioning and operation of biological deodorization systems in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). It covers odour gas characterization, process selection, equipment manufacture and installation, start‑up and operation, performance assessment, and safety and secondary pollution control. The standard supports owners, operators and suppliers in developing effective, low‑cost biological odour control solutions such as biofilters, biotrickling filters and bioscrubbers.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Odour gas characterization
  • Measurement and reporting of flow rate, temperature, relative humidity, odorant species and odour concentration.
  • Guidance for on‑site sampling and use of flux chambers or wind tunnels when no collection system exists.
• Process selection and design
  • Selection between biofilter, trickling biofilter (biotrickling filter) and bioscrubber based on odorant type, concentration and flow.
  • Typical system layout (pre‑treatment, bioreactor column, filter bed, water feeding and leachate handling).
• Manufacture, installation and start‑up
  • Requirements for equipment construction, packing media and water feeding systems.
  • Commissioning and biological start‑up guidance (inoculation, nutrients, pH control).
• Operation, maintenance and performance assessment
  • Monitoring indicators such as pressure drop, empty bed residence time (EBRT), odorant removal efficiency (E) and odorant removal rate (r).
  • Calculation methods for removal efficiency and elimination capacity; measurement references for odour concentration (e.g., EN 13725, ASTM D 1391).
• Safety and secondary pollution control
  • Measures to manage hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and VOC risks, prevent corrosion and control liquid effluents/leachate.

Applications and who uses this standard

ISO 23139:2023 is intended for:

• WWTP owners and plant operators specifying, operating and maintaining odour control systems.
• Design engineers and consulting firms performing process selection and system sizing.
• Equipment manufacturers and suppliers of biofilters, biotrickling filters and bioscrubbers.
• Environmental compliance teams and regulators assessing odour mitigation performance.

Typical applications include odour control at pre‑treatment units, anaerobic tanks, sludge handling areas and centralized headworks where biological deodorization is preferred for low operating cost and limited secondary pollution.

Related standards and references

• Odour measurement methods referenced in the standard (examples): EN 13725, ASTM D 1391, GB/T 14675-93.
• Prepared by ISO/TC 142 (Cleaning equipment for air and other gases).

Keywords: ISO 23139:2023, biological deodorization, WWTPs, biofilter, biotrickling filter, bioscrubber, odour gas characterization, odorant removal efficiency, odour concentration, performance assessment.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 23139
First edition
2023-08
Biological equipment for treating
air and other gases — Requirements
and application guidance for
deodorization in wastewater
treatment plants
Équipements biologiques pour le traitement de l'air et autres
gaz — Guide d'application pour la désodorisation dans les stations
d'épuration des eaux usées
Reference number
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
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or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Odour gas characterization and process design . 4
4.1 Odour gas characterization . 4
4.2 Process design . 4
5 Requirement for manufacture, installation and operation . 5
5.1 Manufacture and installation . 5
5.2 Start-up . 6
5.3 Operation and maintenance . 7
6 Performance assessment . 7
6.1 Measurement of some specific indexes for odour gas . 7
6.1.1 Flow rate, temperature and relative humidity of the odour gas . 7
6.1.2 Pressure drop of the filter bed . 8
6.1.3 Concentration of odorants . 8
6.1.4 Odour concentration . 8
6.2 Calculation of odorant removal efficiency . 8
6.3 Calculation of odorant removal rate . 8
7 Safety and secondary pollution control . 9
7.1 Safety control . 9
7.2 Secondary pollution control . 9
Bibliography .10
iii
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 142, Cleaning equipment for air and other
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iv
Introduction
There are tens of thousands of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) running worldwide, most
of which produce odour gas as secondary pollution. The typical contaminants in odour gas include
hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Besides, hydrogen sulfide in odour
gas can also lead to severe corrosion on structure and pipeline and increases the risk of accidental
poisoning.
Among different techniques, biological techniques have been recognized as a cost-effective and most
applied method for WWTPs deodorization. Biological methods treat the odour gases through microbial
metabolism. Their advantages are low operational cost, simple to operate, very safe to use and having
lower secondary pollution levels. The typical biological equipment includes biofilter, biotrickling filter
and bioscrubber. The biological techniques were used for about 70 years to effectively treat the odour
gas emitted from WWTPs. A great amount of experience has been gathered on biological equipment
from work carried out on numerous sites around the world. However, the biological odour gas treatment
facilities varied greatly from case to case, both in configuration and performance.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop a standard at the international level by collating the successful
experiences together and providing a guidance for the installation and application of biological odour
treatment equipment worldwide.
v
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 23139:2023(E)
Biological equipment for treating air and other gases —
Requirements and application guidance for deodorization
in wastewater treatment plants
1 Scope
This document specifies the requirements and application guidance for biological deodorization
systems in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The specific requirements include odour gas
characterization, process selection, equipment manufacture and installation, start-up and operation,
performance evaluation, security and secondary pollution control.
The guidance can help the development and maintenance of biological deodorization systems in
WWTPs and benefits the owners and operators of WWTPs.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
wastewater treatment plant
WWTP
plant that purifies wastewater with physical, chemical, biological methods or a combination of those to
make the discharge conform to the requirements of discharge standards or the need for environmental
protection
3.2
odorant
substance which has the potential to get volatilized and stimulate a human olfactory system so that an
odour is perceived
Note 1 to entry: Typical odorants in WWTPs include sulfur-containing compounds (hydrogen sulfide, organic
sulfides), nitrogen-containing compounds (ammonia, amines) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
3.3
odour gas
waste gas containing odorants emitted from industrial, civil or domestic processes
3.4
odour source in WWTPs
structure or equipment emitting odour gases in a wastewater treatment plant
Note 1 to entry: In WWTPs, the primary odour source includes the wastewater pre-treatment units, anaerobic
treatment units and waste sludge treatment units. Sulfides including hydrogen sulfide are the typical odorants
from the raw wastewater. Sulfides, ammonia and VOCs are the typical odorants from the waste sludge. The
emission increases where there is turbulence or disturb in the wastewater or waste sludge.
3.5
odour concentration
quantitative indicator of odour intensity through tests with olfactory organs
Note 1 to entry: The value of odour concentration is the diluted multiples of the odour gas samples to the
detection threshold value of panellists using clean air.
Note 2 to entry: The odour concentration of the raw odour gas varies greatly from case to case and is affected by
odorants emission rate and configuration of collection system. Odour concentration can be measured according
to different methodologies such as ASTM D 1391, EN 13725 or GB/T 14675-93.
Note 3 to entry: The odour concentrations measured by different methods cannot be compared directly.
3.6
bioreactor for deodorization
biological reactors used to treat odour gases collected from different odour sources to minimize the
emission of odorants
Note 1 to entry: Biological reactors for waste gas treatment are typically biofilm reactors with microbial
colonies immobilized on the surface of packing media, such as a biofilter or a trickling biofilter. The other type of
biological reactors are suspended-growth reactors with the microbial populations suspended in a liquid medium,
such as a bioscrubber. For WWTPs applications, biofilters and trickling biofilters are much more applied than
bioscrubbers.
3.7
biofilter
bioreactor treating waste gas with the aid of biofilm attached to the packing media which moisture is
maintained by a prepositive humidifier or intermittent water feeding to the filter bed
Note 1 to entry: The typical packing media employed are organic or/and inert materials randomly packed in the
filter beds.
3.8
trickling biofilter
biotrickling filter
bioreactor treating waste gas with free moving liquid layers on the surface of inert packing media to
supply nutrients, take away metabolites or control pH for the biofilm attached to the packing media
Note 1 to entry: The typical packing media employed are inert materials randomly or structured packed in the
filter beds.
Note 2 to entry: External nutrients addition is required when the packing media cannot offer enough nutrients
for the growth of microorganism.
3.9
bioscrubber
absorber transferring contaminants from waste gas to liquid absorbent, and removing the dissolved
contaminants by suspended-growth microorganisms in a supplementary space
Note 1 to entry: The built-in device of the scrubbing unit can be a bulk or structured packing or a construction
with plates or a rotating disk.
Note 2 to entry: External nutrients addition is usually required.
Note 3 to entry: Pre-humidification is not required.
3.10
filter bed
bed including the packing media and the microorganisms on the surface of packing media
Note 1 to entry: The typical packing media employed are natural or/and artificial materials randomly or
structured packed.
Note 2 to entry: The typical microorganisms are bacteria or/and fungi in form of biofilm on the surface of the
packing media or free cells in the liquid.
Note 3 to entry: Odour gas passes through the filter bed and gets purified by mass transfer and biological
degradation of odorants.
3.11
superficial velocity
volumetric odour gas flow rate divided by the free cross-section area of the bioreactor column, with
unit in m/s or m/h
3.12
empty bed residence time
EBRT
total volume of the filter bed divided by the odour gas flow rate
Note 1 to entry: Unit is in s.
3.13
odorant removal efficiency
E
ratio of odorant concentration reduction and inlet odorant concentration
Note 1 to entry: Removal efficiency is also referred to as elimination efficiency.
3.14
odorant removal rate
r
amount of odorants removed by a unit volume of packing material in a unit time
Note 1 to entry: Removal rate (r) is also referred to as elimination capacity (EC) or elimination rate (ER).
Note 2 to entry: It is generally used to evaluate the capacity of the reactors for odorant removal. It is very relevant
and useful for the comparison of various bioreactors. It is important to note that E is dependent upon the inlet
odorant concentration or EBRT of a bioreactor.
Note 3 to entry: The maximum removal rate is the maximum value of instantaneous elimination capacities in
g/(m ·h) while increasing the inlet loading.
3.15
pressure drop
difference in static gas pressure between the inlet and outlet of the equipment
Note 1 to entry: The pressure drop of the bioreactor and odour gas collection duct will affect the energy
consumption of the blower and its operational costs. The pressure drop of the bioreactor is mainly decided by the
character of the filter bed and the superficial velocity.
4 Odour gas characterization and process design
4.1 Odour gas characterization
4.1.1 The main odour sources in WWTPs are covered and the odour gases emitted from different
sources predominantly are collected by a pipeline system. The bioreacto
...