Recently, the international standard "Biological equipment for treating air and other gases — Requirements and application guidance for deodorization in wastewater treatment plants" (ISO 23139: 2023), produced by Xi Jinying from the Institute of Environmental Biology, has been officially published. This standard specifies the technical requirements and application guidance for biological odor removal in wastewater treatment plants.
Currently, countries worldwide generally require wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to adopt necessary odor control measures, with biological deodorization as the mainstream technology. In the application of biological deodorization processes, factors including the identification of odor source characteristics, sealing and gas collection of odor sources, treatment of foul-smelling gases, systematic detection, secondary pollution control, and safety requirements must be considered. Requirements and practices vary among different countries and regions, and even the definition of process systems lacks unified understanding, hindering the further promotion and effectiveness of the technology. Based on research and industry practices in various countries, ISO 23139 explicitly outlines the entire process of biological odor removal in wastewater treatment plants, proposes appropriate ranges for various technical parameters, and provides clear definitions for different typical odor control systems. It offers technical guidance to the WWTP operators. The production of this standard was officially initiated in 2020, led by Chinese experts from ISO TC142 WG13 (Biological Equipment for Waste Gas Treatment). The process involved thorough research into the opinions and needs of research institutions, manufacturers, and users. After three rounds of soliciting opinions and votes from member countries, the publication of the standard fills the gap in international standards for wastewater treatment and odor removal. Next, based on the ISO TC142 platform, the team led by Xi Jinying will continue to develop biological waste gas treatment technology with a problem-oriented approach. Driven by innovation, the team will also compile relevant standards to meet domestic and international needs.
