Abstract
In the present study, we investigated the effects of two bulking materials, Sphagnum
peat and pine wood chips, on the early stages of biowaste composting in
two pilot-scale processes. Emphasis was placed on studying the
formation conditions of malodorous compost gases in the initial phases
of the processes. The results showed that gas emission leaving an open
windrow and a closed drum composting system contained elevated
concentrations of fermentative microbial metabolites when acid Sphagnum
peat (pH 3.2) was used as a bulking material. Moreover, the gas
emission of the peat amended drum composter contained a high
concentration of odour (up to 450,000 ou m−3 of air). The
highest odour values in the outlet gas of peat amended composts
coincided with the elevated concentrations of volatile organic compounds
such as acetoin and buthanedion. We conclude that the acidifying
qualities of composting substrates or bulking material may intensify
odour emission from biowaste composts and prolong the early stages of
the composting process.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 779-786 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Waste Management |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |