On March 3, an "Innotalk" was held on "Odor Management in WWTP and Sanitation Networks", promoted by the interest of MARE and the DAM Chair in tackling new challenges in the sector.

"The need for improvement and progress in the field of odor management that occurs in the WWTP and associated systems is a matter of growing interest, so it is essential to promote interaction between administration-company and research centres to advance in the search for solutions and minimize the impact on citizens".

This was one of the main conclusions reached at the "Innotalk" on "Odor Management in WWTP and Sanitation Networks", held last March 3 at the headquarters of the "Environmental Research Center" of the Government of Cantabria and that It was promoted by MARE (Environment, Water, Waste and Energy of Cantabria, SA) and the DAM Chair, within the framework of the activities carried out by the DAM Chair for the "Integral Management and Resource Recovery from Wastewater".

The meeting, which brought together around thirty technicians from the sector, had the participation of María Sainz (Director of Sanitation at MARE) and a group of specialists in the field of odor impact management in sanitation systems and the resolution of conflicts with citizens, Carlos Nietzsche Díaz Jiménez (SVPA and AMIGO), Asier López Etxebarria (Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia, CABB), Carlos Lardín (ESAMUR) and José Manuel Felisi (G-Agua), who shared their experiences around this problem present in the WWTPs and addressed the future challenges facing the wastewater sector.

"Bad odors produced by WWTPs, pumps and sanitation networks are a growing concern in the cities and towns that host these facilities and are considered by citizens to be the main cause of perceived pollution, along with dust and noise”, highlighted the speakers at the INNOTALK.

The economic impact of not managing odor, the lack of a common regulation, the need to include such management in the "Quality and Environmental Management Systems" of water treatment companies, the importance of quantifying the effect and Interaction of odors with other emission sources or the lack of calculation methodologies, were some of the main topics presented by the experts during the meeting.

In this sense, the attendees highlighted the following issues:  the capacity for improvement and growth that research has in this field of study, the need to develop scientific models to calculate the economic cost and impact of non-management, the obligation to involve citizens in the decision-making and include actions to improve odors in tenders for the building-up and management of facilities.

For all these reasons, the members of the DAM Chair considered “very positively” the celebration of the INNOTALK since this type of meeting allows “discussing and exchanging ideas with other experts, improving the projection of the Chair, increasing possibilities synergies with other entities and advance towards the environmental sustainability of the water purification system”.

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