Comparative analysis of preliminary identification and characteristic of odour sources in biogas plants processing municipal waste in Poland
Marta Wiśniewska, Andrzej Kulig, Krystyna Lelicińska-Serafn
Anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction from municipal solid waste offers the possibility of producing alternative energy from the produced biogas. Currently, there are eight biogas plants in Poland, where municipal waste is the feedstock for the fermentation process, but in the future, it is likely that much more will be built. For this reason, it is very important to characterise the sources of odour emissions in the plants in order to prevent complaints from residents of the region. The paper presents results of preliminary research in the field of identification and characteristic of odour sources in two selected biogas plants processing municipal waste in Poland: Wólka Rokicka-WR and Stalowa Wola-SW. The basic sources of odour were identified in relation to the biological treatment process and the pre-treatment of waste. The odour intensity and the concentration of odour and leading impurities were analysed. Results of the research of various technological solutions carried out in biogas plants were compared. The majority of big concentrations of odour and odorants are related to the operation of the biological part of both plants. The study revealed a strong dependency between the applied operation procedures, technological regime and the obtained measurement results. The highest correspondence between the results was obtained in both tested installations in the case of odour intensity and odour concentration, and in the case of concentration of NH3 and VOC.