Technical Papers
Aug 30, 2024

Field Study of Generation and Emission of Hydrogen Sulfide in a Sanitary Sewer Network Downstream of a Long Forcemain

Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 11

Abstract

Fieldwork was carried out in the western area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to assess the H2S contribution of a long force main and to investigate the source of H2S generation in a complex sewer network. The study sewer trunk has a length of 10 km, a diameter of up to 1.95 m, and flow rate of up to 0.6  m3/s. In the upstream, there is a 5.6 km forcemain, and the pump station operation can cause a sudden increase of H2S in the sewer air of the discharge manholes to reach 500 ppm. Wastewater samples were collected in 14 manholes in the sewer network and analyzed for sulfide and other relevant parameters. The maximum values of sulfide were 9.7  mgS/L and pH remained mostly neutral. For predicting the sulfide generation rate, an empirical model was applied with readily biodegradable organic matter. Then the emission of H2S in gravity pipes was investigated, and it was found over 90% of H2S stayed in the liquid phase when wastewater flowed in gravity sewer pipes. Finally, the mass transfer in a drop structure of 8 m was investigated. The liquid phase H2S concentration in the upstream was 2.6 times that of the downstream, and about 62% of the H2S was released in this drop structure indicating the significant emission of H2S in drop structures.

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Data Availability Statement

All data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request (field measurements).

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express the appreciation for the financial support of EPCOR Utilities and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. The authors also would like to thank Perry Fedun for his technical assistance.

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Go to Journal of Environmental Engineering
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 150Issue 11November 2024

History

Received: Jan 8, 2024
Accepted: Jun 4, 2024
Published online: Aug 30, 2024
Published in print: Nov 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jan 30, 2025

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Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 1H9. Email: [email protected]
Xiao-Jie Shi [email protected]
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 1H9. Email: [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 1H9. Email: [email protected]
David Z. Zhu, M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 1H9; Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ningbo Univ., Zhejiang 315211, China (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
Adam Shypanski [email protected]
Drainage Planning Engineer, EPCOR Utilities Inc. Drainage Services, 18020 114 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB, Canada T5J 3A3. Email: [email protected]

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