Comparison of Odor Emissions from Three Different Biosolids Applied to Forest Soil

Authors: Rosenfeld P.E.¹; Henry C.L.²; Dills R.L.²; Harrison R.B.²

Source: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, Volume 127, Numbers 1-4, April 2001 , pp. 173-191(19)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The odor emissions from three types of biosolids from King County, WA, were measured using dilution-to-threshold olfactometry and mass spectral analyses. This article describes thermal desorption and cryogenic GC/MS methods developed to characterize odorant emissions from biosolids application to forest soil. The major odorous compounds volatilized from two anaerobically digested biosolids were ammonia and dimethyl disulfide, with lesser quantities of carbon disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, trimethyl amine, acetone and methyl ethyl ketone. A third type of biosolids was formed by centrifuge and drying one of the other biosolids at 190 °C. This dry biosolids produced more odor and volatilized a more complex array of volatile compounds including: dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, methylethyl disulfide, methane thiol, trimethyl amine, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. Odor unit emissions were not found to correlate with microbial activity, initial biosolids ammonium, organic nitrogen, and total sulfur. Variability in odor emission were explained by the number of odorous compounds volatilized from each material, surface area of biosolids and drying of the biosolids.

Keywords: biosolids; dimethyl disulfide; drying; emissions; mass spectrometry; nitrogen; odor; sludge; sulfur; volatile fatty acids

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: OGDEN Energy and Environmental Services, San Diego, CA, U.S.A. (author for correspondence, e-mail: paulrose@u.washington.edu) 2: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Publication date: 2001-04-01