Volatile organic compounds produced during the aerobic biological processing of municipal solid waste in a pilot plant.
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.
Pierucci
Paola
P
Department of Environmental Health, Pharmacological Research Institute Mario Negri, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milano, Italy.
Porazzi
Elena
E
Martinez
Mercedes Pardo
MP
Adani
Fabrizio
F
Carati
Cesare
C
Rubino
Federico Maria
FM
Colombi
Antonio
A
Calcaterra
Enrico
E
Benfenati
Emilio
E
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
D000393:Air Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical