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A modeling approach for VOC emissions from sewers
Author(s) -
Corsi Richard L.,
Chang Daniel P. Y.,
Schroeder Edward D.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/wer.64.5.11
Subject(s) - sanitary sewer , wastewater , environmental science , tracer , environmental engineering , volatile organic compound , waste management , sewage treatment , chemistry , engineering , nuclear physics , physics , organic chemistry
Experimental and computational studies were completed to assess volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from wastewater collection systems. Deuterated chloroform solutions were released into two operating collection systems as a VOC tracer. Downstream sampling of the sewer headspace and wastewater was performed and samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Results were used to evaluate a twophase finite volume model for VOC interphase mass transfer and emissions for uniform reaches in sewers. Differences between predicted and experimental average steady‐state concentrations were less than 30%, quite adequate for emission estimation purposes given other uncertainties in wastewater characteristics. The model described in this paper is intended to serve as a screening tool to identify conditions leading to emissions of VOCs from collection systems. The modeling approach can also serve as a basis for more advanced computational solutions as the knowledge base associated with VOCs in sewers improves.