Odour Nuisance at Municipal Waste Biogas Plants and the Effect of Feedstock Modification on the Circular Economy—A Review

Abstract

The increase in the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated, among other places, in households is a result of the growing population, economic development, as well as the urbanisation of areas with accompanying insufficiently effective measures to minimise waste generation. There are many methods for treating municipal waste, with the common goal of minimising environmental degradation and maximising resource recovery. Biodegradable waste, including selectively collected biowaste (BW), also plays an essential role in the concept of the circular economy (CE), which maximises the proportion of waste that can be returned to the system through organic recycling and energy recovery. Methane fermentation is a waste treatment process that is an excellent fit for the CE, both technically, economically, and environmentally. This study aims to analyse and evaluate the problem of odour nuisance in municipal waste biogas plants (MWBPs) and the impact of the feedstock (organic fraction of MSW-OFMSW and BW) on this nuisance in the context of CE assumptions. A literature review on the subject was carried out, including the results of our own studies, showing the odour nuisance and emissions from MWBPs processing both mixed MSW and selectively collected BW. The odour nuisance of MWBPs varies greatly. Odour problems should be considered regarding particular stages of the technological line. They are especially seen at the stages of waste storage, fermentation preparation, and digestate dewatering. At examined Polish MWBPs cod ranged from 4 to 78 ou/m3 for fermentation preparation and from 8 to 448 ou/m3 for digestate dewatering. The conclusions drawn from the literature review indicate both the difficulties and benefits that can be expected with the change in the operation of MWBPs because of the implementation of CE principles.

Odour Load of Selected Elements of the Technological Line at a Municipal Waste Biogas Plant

“…Comparing NH 3 emissions from mixed municipal waste in the unloading and storage halls at two biogas plants tested in [17], one of them reported emissions at a similar level-0-415 g/h (average 134 g/h, RSD 105%)-while in the second they were in a much lower range of 0.023-65 g/h (mean 22 g/h, RSD 86%) [17]. The authors of [18] present the scope of NH 3 emissions from the municipal waste storage hall of a biogas plant at the level of 230-440 g/h.…”

“…On the other hand, the greatest variability in odour emissions concerned gases from the digestate dewatering plant (RSD 100-189%) and storage places for packaging waste collected selectively (RSD 128%) which, like the variability of odorant emissions, was related to the diversity of these fractions (Table 1). The odorant emissions from various stages of the technological line of the MWBP were also examined in [16][17][18], which concerned the unloading and storage of waste and the mechanical treatment and purification of process gases, and found emission values in the following ranges: for VOCs-25-264 g/h, 12-253 g/h, and 0-153 g/h, respectively; for NH 3 -0.023-65 g/h, 0.023-271 g/h, and 0-335 g/h, respectively.…”

“…According to Turin and Yoshii [15], odorants are characterised by properties such as volatility, hydrophobicity, and a molecular weight of less than about 300 g/mol. The odour impact of waste treatment plants is mainly influenced by such factors as the technology used, type of waste, technological regime, the occurrence of failure of technological lines or their elements, temperature, and relative humidity of the air, as well as compliance of plant employees with the technological regime [16][17][18].…”

Odors Emitted from Biological Waste and Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Mini-Review

“…The authors concluded that the zone of waste collection was the main emissions source of the plant [62]. In another similar study [63], waste storage, fermentation preparation, and digestate dewatering were the main emission odor sources in a Polish MSW biogas treatment plant, with ranges of 4 to 78 ou/m 3 for fermentation preparation and from 8 to 448 ou/m 3 for digestate dewatering.…”

Numerical Simulation of Combustion and Characteristics of Fly Ash and Slag in a “V-type” Waste Incinerator

“…With the growth of the population, economic development and urban expansion year by year, the amount of generated municipal solid waste is also increasing [1]. Traditional landfill methods are facing numerous challenges such as land restrictions and pollution, and how to deal with millions of tonnes of household waste is becoming the biggest problem facing environmental managers [2,3].…”