Odour control at biowaste composting facilities

There are several options to effectively reduce odorous emissions at composting facilities depending on the type of composting system used. Some of the more relevant measures for open and enclosed composting facilities are presented in this article. Results from different investigations on odour reduction efficiencies of biological waste gas treatment systems at various scales are presented. Biofilter/bioscrubber combinations were used and different biofilter materials were tested. The more relevant odorous substances in the waste gas were identified, and their reduction in the different systems was measured. The biofilter proved to be mainly responsible for efficient odour degradation. The investigations presented in this article revealed that screened compost was very effective, and proved to be a low cost biofilter material for odour degradation purposes. Screened compost showed higher degradation rates than a coke-compost mixture newly developed by the University of Leipzig. Furthermore, it seems that enclosed systems have advantages when compared to conventional open single bed biofilters.