Volatile organic compound emissions from municipal solid waste disposal sites: a case study of Mumbai, India

Improper solid waste management leads to aesthetic and environmental problems. Emission ofvolatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of the problems from uncontrolled dumpsite. VOCs are well known to be hazardous to human health and many of them are known or potential carcinogens. They also contribute to ozone formation at ground level and climate change as well. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of VOCs emitting from two municipal waste (MSW) disposal sites in Mumbai, India, namely Deonar and Malad, are presented in this paper. Air at dumpsites was sampled and analyzed on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) TO-17 compendium method for analysis of toxic compounds. As many as 64 VOCs were qualitatively identified, among which 13 are listed under hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Study of environmental distribution of a few major VOCs indicates that although air is the principal compartment of residence, they also get considerably partitioned in soil and vegetation. The CO2 equivalent of target VOCs from the landfills in Malad and Deonar shows that the total yearly emissions are 7.89E+03 and 8.08E+02 kg, respectively. The total per hour ozone production from major VOCs was found to be 5.34E-01 ppb in Deonar and 9.55E-02 ppb in Malad. The total carcinogenic risk for the workers in the dumpsite considering all target HAPs are calculated to be 275 persons in 1 million in Deonar and 139 persons in 1 million in Malad.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management in Indian mega-cities: a case study of Chennai landfill sites

Municipal solid waste generation rate is over-riding the population growth rate in all mega-cities in India. Greenhouse gas emission inventory from landfills of Chennai has been generated by measuring the site specific emission factors in conjunction with relevant activity data as well as using the IPCC methodologies for CH4 inventory preparation. In Chennai, emission flux ranged from 1.0 to 23.5mg CH4m(-2)h(-1), 6 to 460microg N2Om(-2)h(-1) and 39 to 906mg CO2m(2)h(-1) at Kodungaiyur and 0.9 to 433mg CH4m(-2)h(-1), 2.7 to 1200microg N2Om(-2)h(-1) and 12.3 to 964.4mg CO2m(-2)h(-1) at Perungudi. CH4 emission estimates were found to be about 0.12Gg in Chennai from municipal solid waste management for the year 2000 which is lower than the value computed using IPCC, 1996 [IPCC, 1996. Report of the 12th session of the intergovernmental panel of climate change, Mexico City, 1996] methodologies.     

Volatile organic compound emissions from Siberian larch

We determined hourly emissions of isoprene, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes from Siberian larch, one of the major tree species in Siberian forests. Summer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission from Siberian larch consisted mainly of monoterpenes (about 90%). The monoterpene emission spectrum remained constant during the measurement period, almost half was sabinene and other major monoterpenes were Δ³-carene, β- and α-pinene. During spring and summer, about 10% of the VOCs were sesquiterpenes, mainly α-farnesene. The sesquiterpene emissions declined to 3% in the fall. Isoprene, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) and 1,8-cineole contributed to less than 3% of the VOC emission during the whole period. The diurnal variation of the emissions could be explained using a temperature-dependent parameterization. Emission potentials normalized to 30 °C were 5.2–21 μg g_dw⁻¹ h⁻¹ (using β-value of 0.09 °C⁻¹) for monoterpenes and 0.4–1.8 μg g_dw⁻¹ h⁻¹ (using β-value of 0.143 °C⁻¹, mean of determined values) for sesquiterpenes. Normalized monoterpene emission potentials were highest in late summer and elevated again in late fall. Sesquiterpene emission potentials were also highest in late summer, but decreased towards fall.     

Organic compound emissions from a landfarm used for oil and gas solid waste disposal

Solid or sludgy hydrocarbon waste is a by-product of oil and gas exploration and production. One commonly used method of disposing of this waste is landfarming. Landfarming involves spreading hydrocarbon waste on soils, tilling it into the soil, and allowing it to biodegrade. We used a dynamic flux chamber to measure fluxes of methane, a suite of 54 nonmethane hydrocarbons, and light alcohols from an active and a remediated landfarm in eastern Utah. Fluxes from the remediated landfarm were not different from a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet or from undisturbed soils in the region. Fluxes of methane, total nonmethane hydrocarbons, and alcohols from the landfarm in active use were 1.41 (0.37, 4.19) (mean and 95% confidence limits), 197.90 (114.72, 370.46), and 4.17 (0.03, 15.89) mg m^?2 hr^?1, respectively. Hydrocarbon fluxes were dominated by alkanes, especially those with six or more carbons. A 2-ha landfarm with fluxes of the magnitude we observed in this study would emit 95.3 (54.3, 179.7) kg day^?1 of total hydrocarbons, including 11.2 (4.3, 33.9) kg day^?1 of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes).

Implications: Solid and sludgy hydrocarbon waste from the oil and gas industry is often disposed of by landfarming, in which wastes are tilled into soil and allowed to decompose. We show that a land farm in Utah emitted a variety of organic compounds into the atmosphere, including hazardous air pollutants and compounds that form ozone. We calculate that a 2-ha landfarm facility would emit 95.0 ± 66.0 kg day^?1 of total hydrocarbons, including 11.1 ± 1.5 kg day^?1 of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes).     

Greenhouse gas emission potential of the municipal solid waste disposal sites in Thailand

Open dumping and landfilling are the prevalent solid waste disposal practices in Thailand. Surveys on the disposal sites revealed the presence of 95 landfills and 330 open dumps. Methane emission potential at these sites was estimated by three methods. Results of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, Landfill Gas Emission model (LandGEM), and closed flux chamber technique were compared. The methane emission potential of 366 Gg/yr using the IPCC method was higher than the estimations of the LandGEM and closed flux chamber method of 115 Gg/yr and 103 Gg/yr, respectively. An understanding of the methane emission potential initiated the analysis of upgrading the open dumps into landfills, adding landfills to meet the future needs and utilization of landfill gases. Upgrading the open dumps to landfills increased the methane emission rates and their utilization potential. Approximately 20 additional landfills may be required to meet future demands. Landfill gas (LFG) utilization appears to be feasible in the large-scale landfills.     

A GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making method for the selection of potential municipal solid waste disposal sites in Mersin,Turkey

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to rapid urbanization and the resulting rapid population increases, an important problem for cities today is the elimination of solid waste or...     

城市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰的熔融分离处理

焚烧法处理城市生活垃圾已在世界先进发达国家广泛采用。垃圾焚烧飞灰含有大量的重金属,必须进行合理安全处置。在分析城市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰的物理化学性质基础上,研究了垃圾焚烧飞灰固化成型、熔融分离的无害化处理新工艺。实验结果表明：飞灰固化成球的适宜粘结剂为5%～7%消石灰,养护时间为10～12 d,固化球强度达0.24 kg/cm²以上,可以满足运输和熔化分离要求;固化后的飞灰在1 300℃左右熔融分离后,重金属的分离效果好,达到97%以上,可达到无害化处理标准;对1 300℃和1 400℃熔融分离后熔渣的重金属浸出毒性测试显示,重金属浸出毒性问题可以完全解除。研究结果表明,采用飞灰固化-熔融分离工艺处理城市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰是可行的。     

N2O emissions at municipal solid waste landfill sites: Effects of CH4 emissions and cover soil

Municipal solid waste landfills are the significant anthropogenic sources of N₂O due to the cooxidation of ammonia by methane-oxidizing bacteria in cover soils. Such bacteria could be developed through CH₄ fumigation, as evidenced by both laboratory incubation and field measurement. During a 10-day incubation with leachate addition, the average N₂O fluxes in the soil samples, collected from the three selected landfill covers, were multiplied by 1.75 (p < 0.01), 3.56 (p < 0.01), and 2.12 (p < 0.01) from the soil samples preincubated with 5% CH₄ for three months when compared with the control, respectively. Among the three selected landfill sites, N₂O fluxes in two landfill sites were significantly correlated with the variations of the CH₄ emissions without landfill gas recovery (p < 0.001). N₂O fluxes were also elevated by the increase of the CH₄ emissions with landfill gas recovery in another landfill site (p > 0.05). The annual average N₂O flux was 176 ± 566 μg N₂O–N m^?2 h^?1 (p < 0.01) from sandy soil–covered landfill site, which was 72% (p < 0.05) and 173% (p < 0.01) lower than the other two clay soil covered landfill sites, respectively. The magnitude order of N₂O emissions in three landfill sites was also coincident by the results of laboratory incubation, suggesting the sandy soil cover could mitigate landfill N₂O emissions.     

Volatile organic compound emissions from dry mill fuel ethanol production

Ethanol fuel production is growing rapidly in the rural Midwest, and this growth presents potential environmental impacts. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) entered into enforcement actions with 12 fuel ethanol plants in Minnesota. The enforcement actions uncovered underreported emissions and resulted in consent decrees that required pollution control equipment be installed. A key component of the consent decrees was a requirement to conduct emissions tests for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the goal of improving the characterization and control of emissions. The conventional VOC stack test method was thought to underquantify total VOC emissions from ethanol plants. A hybrid test method was also developed that involved quantification of individual VOC species. The resulting database of total and speciated VOC emissions from 10 fuel ethanol plants is relatively small, but it is the most extensive to date and has been used to develop and gauge compliance with permit limits and to estimate health risks in Minnesota. Emissions were highly variable among facilities and emissions units. In addition to the variability, the small number of samples and the presence of many values below detection limits complicate the analysis of the data. To account for these issues, a nested bootstrap procedure on the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate means and upper confidence limits. In general, the fermentation scrubbers and fluid bed coolers emitted the largest mass of VOC emissions. Across most facilities and emissions units ethanol was the pollutant emitted at the highest rate. Acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and ethyl acetate were also important emissions from some units. Emissions of total VOCs, ethanol, and some other species appeared to be a function of the beer feed rate, although the relationship was not reliable enough to develop a production rate-based emissions factor.     

Economic insight into municipal solid waste management in Mumbai: a critical analysis

Mumbai generates 6256 tonnes of waste every day, of which 17.20% is recyclable, but only a fraction of this is retrieved by rag-pickers. The economic value of the retrieved material is not considered by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai in valuing the waste management system as there is no retrieval mechanism except the informal rag-picking activity. Moreover, the cost of land used for the dumping of waste is also not accounted for. In the present paper, a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for the present system of municipal solid waste management in Mumbai is carried out, with due consideration for implicit or hidden costs and benefits. Accounting for the implicit costs and benefits showed a difference of $6 per every tonne of waste disposal. This could show a considerable difference in policy development at the municipality level. Demand supply analysis proved that the present system of waste management would not yield a feasible market solution without private sector participation. With the increasing demand for improved waste management, private sector participation is essential and a Pigouvian tax is a necessary tool to make the private sector participation in solid waste management a success.     

北京市生活垃圾处理的环境影响评价

目前北京市生活垃圾产生量不断增加,处理设施能力日渐不足,生活垃圾管理正面临着减量化与资源化必然趋势。在未来5～10年内,堆肥处理、焚烧处理和综合处理等方式将取代卫生填埋成为北京市垃圾处理的主要方式。本研究采用生命周期评价的方法,对北京市4处垃圾处理设施采用的不同工艺（卫生填埋、好氧堆肥、焚烧处理和综合处理）的环境影响进行比较。评价结果表明4,种处理方式中填埋、堆肥、焚烧和综合处理的环境影响负荷分别为4.82×10-2、1.10×10-21、.31×10-1和2.31×10-2,焚烧处理的总环境影响潜值最大,填埋处理次之,综合处理再次,堆肥处理最小。4种处理方式的资源耗竭系数分别为-2.39×10-51、.11×10-5、-3.45×10-4和-1.04×10-6,焚烧处理的资源耗竭系数最小。     

Control of mercury emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator in Japan

The control of Hg emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is very important, because more than 78% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is incinerated. The Hg content of coal used in utility boilers is relatively low in Japan. In this study, recent trends in the Hg content of MSW in Japan and activated carbon (AC) injection as a control technology of Hg emission from an MSWI are discussed. The effect of AC injection on Hg removal from flue gas in an MSWI was investigated by pilot-scale experiments using a bag filter (BF). The injection of AC increases the Hg reduction ratio by 20-30% compared with cases without AC injection. The Hg reduction ratio increases as the flue gas temperature decreases. The Hg reduction ratio is closely related to the inlet Hg concentration and was expressed with a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm.     

上海南京深圳城市垃圾及处置的比较研究

介绍了上海、南京与深圳人口城市化的特点、城市垃圾的来源及产生量.揭示了垃圾成分的动态变化及有机发酵类废弃物增长较快及"白色污染"加剧的趋势,并提出对策.     

高温厌氧消化处理城市有机垃圾的正交试验研究

针对城市垃圾高温厌氧消化处理中反应复杂、影响因素多的特点,采用正交试验,利用自行设计的厌氧发酵罐,以产气量为观察值,分析含固率(TS)、消化温度和碳氮比(C/N比)对厌氧消化过程的影响,并分析比较了高产气区与低产气区的挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)以及比产气速率的变化情况.在相同条件下,高温可以提高系统的最大比产气速率,并且还可以有效抑制VFA的积累,提高总产气量.结果表明,温度对厌氧消化过程影响最大,TS次之,C/N比影响最小.     

The role of mechanical and biological treatment in reducing methane emissions from landfill disposal of municipal solid waste in the United Kingdom

In Europe, the European Union Landfill Directive aims to reduce the negative environmental impacts of landfilling. This is mainly to be achieved by reducing the quantity of organic matter deposited, through measures such as the separate collection and recycling of the organic waste stream or pretreatment of residual wastes before landfilling. Other than incineration or other thermal processes, mechanical biological treatment is playing an increasingly important role. This study was conducted to seek the benefits of municipal solid waste (MSW) pretreatment, as well as the differences in methane production from the landfilling of untreated and mechanically/biologically treated (MBT) MSW using GasSim simulation. Results demonstrated that methane production rates vary significantly among waste fractions. Those that contribute most to methane generation (organic material and potentially reusable or recyclable material) could be targeted and treated before landfilling. The statistic relationship from the first phase of the study indicated that to match the increasingly stringent landfill waste organic content allowance, local councils should prioritize the reduction/sorting of certain targeted fractions, such as paper, card, green waste, and other putrescibles from MSW. Moreover, mechanical treatment alone produces organic-rich waste called mechanically sorted organic residues (MSORs), which can be viewed as an organic content concentration process. Mechanically and biologically pretreated waste, on the other hand, differs significantly from untreated MSW and MSORs. This work demonstrated that if efficient mechanical-biological treatment is used, considerable reductions in biological activity, landfill gas production, and energy content/total organic carbon could be achieved. Using GasSim, reductions in methane production of >74% have been simulated if a 90% organic content reduction can be achieved during biological treatment on MSORs. A 50-60% organic content reduction by following biological treatment can turn MSOR properties only into normal MSW equivalent though considerably less volume.     

Characteristics of volatile compound emission and odor pollution from municipal solid waste treating/disposal facilities of a city in Eastern China

Transfer station, incineration plant, and landfill site made up the major parts of municipal solid waste disposal system of S city in Eastern China. Characteristics of volatile compounds (VCs) and odor pollution of each facility were investigated from a systematic perspective. Also major index related to odor pollution, i.e., species and concentration of VCs, olfactory odor concentration, and theoretic odor concentration, was quantified. Oxygenated compounds and hydrocarbons were the most abundant VCs in the three facilities. Different chemical species were quantified, and the following average concentrations were obtained: transfer station, 54 VCs, 2472.47 μg/m³; incineration plant, 75 VCs, 33,129.25 μg/m³; and landfill site, 71 VCs, 1694.33 μg/m³. Furthermore, the average olfactory odor concentrations were 20,388.80; 50,677.50; and 4951.17, respectively. The highest odor nuisance was detected in the waste tipping port of the incineration plant. A positive correlation between the olfactory and chemical odor concentrations was found with R ² = 0.918 (n = 15, P < 0.01). The result shows odor pollution risk transfer from landfill to incineration plant when adopting thermal technology to deal with the non-source-separated waste. Strong attention thus needs to be paid on the enclosed systems in incineration plant to avoid any accidental odor emission.

     

Volatile organic compounds produced during the aerobic biological processing of municipal solid waste in a pilot plant

The volatile organic carbon (VOC) and odours emitted during the aerobic biological processing of municipal solid waste (MSW) was studied in a pilot-scale reactor. VOCs were detected by different techniques on solid waste samples and the outlet air stream, before and after a biofilter. Organic compounds (alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, D-limonene) were also measured in condensate water and leachate from the process. Results showed uniformity in the composition of the air in the solid waste samples, air sampled during the process and condensed water, indicating a matrix-derived origin of these compounds. Leachates, however, contained substances with a quite different molecular structure from the compounds identified in the gaseous fraction. Most of the substances in the gaseous effluent had a hydrocarbon-like structure, mainly terpenoids. The odour produced and detected through olfactometry agreed with GC-MS analyses. This was true above all for terpenes.     

Model of municipal solid waste source separation activity: a case study of Beijing

One major challenge faced by Beijing is dealing with the enormous amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated, which contains a high percentage of food waste. Source separation is considered an effective means of reducing waste and enhancing recycling. However, few studies have focused on quantification of the mechanism of source separation activity. Therefore, this study was conducted to establish a mathematical model of source separation activity (MSSA) that correlates the source separation ratio with the following parameters: separation facilities, awareness, separation transportation, participation atmosphere, environmental profit, sense of honor, and economic profit. The MSSA consisted of two equations, one related to the behavior generation stage and one related to the behavior stability stage. The source separation ratios of the residential community, office building, and primary and middle school were calculated using the MSSA. Data for analysis were obtained from a 1-yr investigation and a questionnaire conducted at 128 MSW clusters around Beijing. The results revealed that office buildings had an initial separation ratio of 80% and a stable separation ratio of 65.86%, whereas residential communities and primary and middle schools did not have a stable separation ratio. The MSSA curve took on two shapes. In addition, internal motivations and the separation transportation ratio were found to be key parameters of the MSSA. This model can be utilized for other cities and countries.     

城市固体有机废物堆肥实验装置设计

根据城市固体有机废物的特点和性质 ,设计了一种堆肥的实验装置 ,该设计包括空间结构设计、通风系统设计和搅拌系统设计。空间结构设计的特点是小型的、用于实验室研究的、仓式动态好氧结构 ;通风系统的设计则是以供氧、散热和去除水分所需通风量为基础 ;搅拌系统设计包括搅拌器的结构设计和所需动力设计     

Curbing dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incineration in China: Re-thinking about management policies and practices

As one of the countries with large amounts of dioxin releases, the control of dioxins is a major challenge for China. Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration should be considered a high priority source of dioxin emissions because it is playing an increasingly more important role in waste management. MSW incineration in China has much higher emission rates of dioxins than in the developed countries, partially resulting from the gaps in the technologies of incineration and flue gas cleaning. Moreover, the current management policies and practices also contribute significantly to the problem. We recommend lowering dioxin emission standard, strengthening fly ash management, and improving regulation enforcement to reduce dioxin releases into the environment from MSW incineration. We also propose that alternative strategies should be considered on dioxin control and call for an expansion of economic instruments in waste management to reduce waste generation and thus the need for incineration.