Title: PCDD/Fs environmental impact from an anaerobic digestion treatment

Authors: Elena Cristina Rada; Agnese Ferrari; Marco Ragazzi; Marco Schiavon; Vincenzo Torretta

Addresses: Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy ' Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Via G.B. Vico 46, I-21100 Varese, Italy

Abstract: The presence of mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plants for municipal solid waste (MSW) in a territory could result in significant contamination by dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs). This study points out the importance of carrying out a preliminary environmental impact assessment for MBT plants. A preliminary investigation was carried out with reference to the anaerobic digestion (AD) of MSW. A dispersion model was applied to an MBT plant. The AD process was analysed as a treatment of the filtrate, i.e., the putrescible fraction (undersieve), of screened residual MSW, before a post-biostabilisation (BS) step. A comparison with the BS of the oversieve alone, i.e., the coarse fraction of residual MSW, was made too. A conventional biofilter and a regenerative thermal oxidiser (RTO) were also compared to emission control solutions. Thanks to the increased dilution by the RTO, lower impacts are expected on the surroundings. In addition, coupling AD with post-BS results considerably lower PCDD/Fs emissions with respect to BS alone.

Keywords: MSW; municipal solid waste; RTO; regenerative thermal oxidiser; MBTs; mechanical-biological treatments; biostabilisation; dioxins; AERMOD; Atmospheric dispersion MODelling.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2016.083927

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2016 Vol.10 No.4, pp.370 - 381

Received: 13 Mar 2016
Accepted: 02 Nov 2016
Published online: 26 Apr 2017 *

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