Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds During Initial Decomposition Phase of Municipal Solid Waste

Abstract:

Simulated tests were carried out to investigate the characteristics of the emission of volatile organic compounds(VOCs).The emission rates of total VOCs (TVOCs) were 9.67~20.3 mg·kg-1 in 72 h after municipal solid waste(MSW) generation.The lowest emission rate corresponded to the high-level ventilation condition with the oxygen concentration in the MSW layer around 18%.The ketones and the thioethers accounted for 70%~80% and 10%~20% of TVOCs,respectively,which were the major odorous catalogues.During the period of 72 h,the TVOCs emission was high in 0~24 h,descended in 25~48 h,and rose again in 49~72 h.Contrastively,the emission of thioehters kept ascending during 72 h.The study suggests that the VOCs emission can be reduced by high-level ventilation and inoculation with aerobic microorganisms.

Key words:municipal solid waste (MSW); volatile organic compounds (VOCs); initial decomposition phase; thioethers; aromatics; odor pollution