Emission Characteristics and Ozone Formation Potential of VOCs from a Municipal Solid Waste Composting Plant

Abstract

In Beijing, the chemical composition and component concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were investigated during the municipal solid waste composting process using a portable gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer. The contributions of VOCs to the ozone formation potential were computed using the maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) scale and the propylene-equivalent concentration scale. The results showed that the concentrations of waste discharge in the sorting room, the first fermentation workshop, the second fermentation workshop, the compost product workshop, and the plant boundary were 10302.1, 15484.1, 929.9, 4693.6 and 370.4 μg·m-3, respectively. The main VOCs of the municipal solid waste composting plant were ethanol, limonene, and acetone. The propylene-equivalent concentrations of waste discharge in the sorting room, the first fermentation workshop, the second fermentation workshop, the compost product workshop, and the plant boundary were 25875.7, 4087.9, 378.0, 747.7 and 296.8 μg·m-3, whereas the O3 formation potentials computed using the MIR scale were 26979.3, 21168.3, 1469.3, 6439.6 and 455.8 μg·m-3. Reducing pollution by controlling the VOCs emission of waste discharge in the sorting room and the first fermentation workshop is important and can decrease the ozone formation potential. Given the accuracy and accessibility of the method, the MIR scale is more suitable for calculating the ozone formation potential of VOCs emitted from the municipal solid waste composting plant.