Title: Odour emissions from MSW composting process steps

Authors: Selena Sironi, Laura Capelli, Paolo Centola, Renato Del Rosso

Addresses: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Abstract: This study brought to the definition and the calculation of Odour Emission Factors (OEFs), which enable the estimation of odour emissions from a composting plant by relating the quantity of odour emitted to the atmosphere to a given associated activity. The results show that the aerobic biological treatment has the highest odour impact, with an OEF of 1.4 × 10⁸ ou_E t⁻¹. Moreover, the efficiency values that were measured on the odour abatement systems adopted in the monitored plants are presented: Biofilters have an average efficiency value of 93.88%, whereas scrubbers have very variable efficiencies, with an average value of 44.12%.

Keywords: odour emission factors; OEF; odour concentration; odour emission rate; OER; odour impact; composting; odour abatement systems; OAS; biofilters; scrubbers; municipal solid waste; solid waste compost.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2007.015148

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2007 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.304 - 316

Published online: 18 Sep 2007 *

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