Effect of light Sphagnum peat on odour formation in the early stages of biowaste composting

Jukka M. Kurola*, Mona Arnold, Merja H. Kontro, Matti Talves, Martin Romantschuk

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    14 Citations (Scopus)

    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 oum−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 languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)779-786
    JournalWaste Management
    Volume30
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

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