BENCH-SCALE REMOVAL OF ODOR AND VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS AT A COMPOSTING FACILITY

VOC emissions from an aerated static pile composting operation are identified and quantified. The most significant odorous VOCs are dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, limonene, and alpha-pinene. A comparison of data from several compost facilities reveals that these compounds are typical but tend to occur in higher concentrations when raw sludge is composted. Active compost exhaust treatment was investigated by bench-scale testing a packed tower scrubber with various chemicals and three types of adsorbent media. Scrubbing chemicals included sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, DeAmine (by Nutech), and a surfactant. Adsorbent media included virgin activated carbon, caustic impregnated carbon, and a biofilter composed of finished compost. The best results were obtained with a two-stage packed tower scrubber using acid in stage 1, followed by caustic and hypochlorite at pH 10 in stage 2.