Abstract
The mechanical-biological waste treatment plants (MBTP), which include the municipal waste biogas plants, have an important role in sustainable urban development. Some plants are equipped with a sewage pre-treatment plant, which is then directed to the sewerage system and the treatment plant. Others, on the other hand, have only a non-drainage tank. The parameters of technological sewage (TS) or processing technology could reduce sewage contamination rates. In addition to the quality of sewage from waste treatment plants, the emission of odours is also an important problem, as evidenced by the results obtained over the sewage pumping station tank. The conducted statistical analysis shows a significant positive correlation between odour concentration (cod) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Analysing the individual compounds, a high positive correlation was also found—the strongest being between H2S, NH3 and VOCs. In the case of sewage compounds, the insignificant correlation between P total and other parameters was found. For the rest of the compounds, the highest positive correlation was found between COD and BOD and N-NO2 and N-NH3 as well as COD and N-NO2. The dilution of sewage is only an ad hoc solution to the problem. Further work should be aimed at reducing sewage pollution rates. The obtained results indicate large pollution of technological sewage and a high level of odour and odorants concentration. The novelty and scientific contribution presented in the paper are related to analyses of various factors on technological sewage parameters and odour and odorant emission from TS tank at biogas plant processing municipal waste, which may be an important source of knowledge on the management of TS, its disposal and minimisation of emitted compound emissions.
Highlights
The mechanical-biological waste treatment plants (MBTP), which include the municipal waste biogas plants, an important element of sustainable management for future generations and a circular economy [1,2,3,4], are essential from the point of view of renewable energy, and from minimising the odour nuisance of waste management facilities [5]
This paper presents the analysis of sewage and odour emitted from the biological waste treatment process carried out at two waste treatment plants located in Poland
The difference between the groups is statistically significant at the 0.05 level for NH3 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Summary
The MBTP, which include the municipal waste biogas plants, an important element of sustainable management for future generations and a circular economy [1,2,3,4], are essential from the point of view of renewable energy, and from minimising the odour nuisance of waste management facilities (the encapsulation of the first, most odorogenic phase of the biological process) [5]. The anaerobic digestion and composting are recommended for waste treatment processes, mainly for the biodegradable waste collected at the source. Both processes aim to convert waste into the least harmful form for the environment. The inherent impact of waste treatment is the emission of the odorant compounds, and of the production of technological sewage with a potentially high pollutant load [14,15]. The olfactory compounds characteristic of the waste management includes mainly VOCs (sulphur-containing VOCs, volatile fatty acids, phenolics and indolics), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) [16,17]
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