Presented at Water Environment Federation Specialty Conference:

The measurement of odors from wastewater treatment facilities is usually a requirement for compliance monitoring, planning, site expansion, and review of operational practices. These odor measurements are often focused on the “front end ” of the facility, i.e. head works, primaries, and aeration processes. Sometimes attention is also placed on digesters and dewatering processes. However, the odor of the biosolids material is often overlooked as a parameter in decision-making at the wastewater treatment facility. Odor is a serious issue in the acceptance of biosolids at a landfill and, more so, a critical issue in public acceptance for land application of biosolids. The biosolids industry recognizes a wide variability in the odor from different biosolids. In the search for operational parameters that influence biosolids odor, the need to select and trust odor measurement methods is critical. Research on biosolids odor includes identifying the origin, mechanisms, and parameters for odor production, quantifying odor generation, defining “low odor ” processes, and measuring odor in the ambient air surrounding land application operations. All of these research objectives need common, standard, and trustworthy “odor testing ” method