Citation:
Claire Hurst, Philip Longhurst, Simon Pollard, Richard Smith, Bruce Jefferson, Jan Gronow, Assessment of municipal waste compost as a daily cover material for odour control at landfill sites, Environmental Pollution, Volume 135, Issue 1, May 2005, Pages 171-177.
Abstract:
The ability of municipal waste compost as a daily cover material to reduce the
odorous emissions associated with landfill surfaces was investigated. Trials
were carried out using landfill gas, a certified sulphurous gas mix and ambient
air as a control. Odorous gas was passed through portable test column filled
with compost at different densities (590 kg/m3 and 740 kg/m3). Gas samples were
taken from the inlet, outlet and at varying column depths and examined using a
combination of sensory analysis (olfactometry) and a novel analytical method
(Transportable Selected Ion Flow Tube – TSIFT). Results for the trials using
landfill gas showed a 69% odour reduction (OU/m3) through the column for compost
with a bulk density of 590 kg/m3, and a reduction of 97% using compost with a
bulk density of 740 kg/m3. TSIFT analysis showed an overall decrease in the
concentration of terpenes, and sulphurous compounds in the outlet gas from the
column for both bulk densities. No significant trend could be identified for the
concentrations at different depths within the column. Results show the ability
of compost to reduce landfill odours under differing conditions. The
inconclusive data provided by TSIFT analysis may be due to the analysis of
compounds that are not contributing to odour, and thus highlights the potential
for synergetic effects and the importance of sensory measurement when examining
odorous emission
