title: Volatile organic compounds produced during the aerobic biological processing of municipal solid waste in a pilot plant.
abstract: The volatile organic carbon (VOC) and odours emitted during the aerobic biological processing of municipal solid waste (MSW) was studied in a pilot-scale reactor. VOCs were detected by different techniques on solid waste samples and the outlet air stream, before and after a biofilter. Organic compounds (alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, D-limonene) were also measured in condensate water and leachate from the process. Results showed uniformity in the composition of the air in the solid waste samples, air sampled during the process and condensed water, indicating a matrix-derived origin of these compounds. Leachates, however, contained substances with a quite different molecular structure from the compounds identified in the gaseous fraction. Most of the substances in the gaseous effluent had a hydrocarbon-like structure, mainly terpenoids. The odour produced and detected through olfactometry agreed with GC-MS analyses. This was true above all for terpenes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Pharmacological Research Institute Mario Negri, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pierucci
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Porazzi
authors.forename: Mercedes Pardo
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Adani
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carati
authors.forename: Federico Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Rubino
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colombi
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calcaterra
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benfenati
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007558:Italy; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014835:Volatilization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical