Sewer gas is a mixture of inorganic gases created by the action of certain anaerobic bacteria that are in sewage and sludge. This gas can contain hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and hydrogen. So what actually causes the smell? Most of the time the hydrogen sulfide is the odor culprit. The rest of the gases listed above are actually odorless.
Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas but will not harm people at the concentrations that cause sewer odor control problems in your home. There isn’t enough gas generated within sewers for concentrations to approach the dangerous level in the dwelling. However, if a person were to enter a holding area containing sewage undergoing anaerobic breakdown, it could be poisonous.
The odor-causing hydrogen sulfide is produced when a chemical reaction occurs, reducing sulfate radicals to H2S and water. This chemical reaction only occurs when there is no oxygen or other oxidants. At some point, all sewage systems will produce sewer gas and require sewer odor control.
When hydrogen sulfide becomes a problem at a treatment plant or lift station, oxidizers can be added to the sewage to increase the oxidation-reduction potential. Among these oxidizers are oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, permanganates, as well as others.
In-Pipe Technology now offers the IPT-AOP-16 Advanced Oxidation Process System for Lift Stations that requires no chemicals, it needs only a small footprint and uses minimal electrical power.
This chemical-free scrubber system works with your existing lift station vent to oxidize hydrogen sulfide by pulling the odorous chemicals outside of the lift station environment and scrubbing them before being released into the air.
In-Pipe collection system bioaugmentation treatments reduce the majority of the hydrogen sulfide and is an easy yet efficient way to clean the air within the lift station, assist with sewer odor control, and help with corrosion problems in wastewater collection systems.