BI

OCHEMI
CALTREATMENTOFSOLI
DWASTE

Compost
ingandanaer
obi
cdi
gest
ionofor
gani
cwast
e,suchas
f
oodwast
e,gar
den(
yar
d)andpar
kwast
eandsl
udge,i
s
commonbot
hindevel
opedanddevel
opi
ngcount
ri
es.

Advant
agesoft
hebi
ologi
calt
reat
menti
ncl
ude:

r
educedvol
umei
nthewast
emat
eri
al,

st
abi
li
sat
ionoft
hewast
e,

dest
ruct
ionofpat
hogensi
nthewast
emat
eri
al

,andpr
oduct
ionofbi
ogasf
orener
gyuse.

Theendpr
oduct
soft
hebi
ologi
calt
reat
mentcan,dependi
ngon
i
tsqual
it
y,ber
ecycl
edasf
ert
il
iserandsoi
lamendment
,orbe
di
sposedi
nSWDS.
Anaer
obi
ctr
eat
menti
susual
lyl
inkedwi
th
met
hane(
CH4)r
ecover
yandcombust
ionf
orener
gy,andt
hus
t
hegr
eenhousegasemi
ssi
onsf
rom t
hepr
ocessshoul
dbe
r
epor
tedi
ntheEner
gySect
or.Anaer
obi
csl
udget
reat
mentat
wast
ewat
ert
reat
mentf
aci
li
ti
esi
saddr
essedi
nChapt
er6,
Wast
ewat
erTr
eat
mentandDi
schar
ge,andemi
ssi
onsshoul
dbe
r
epor
tedundert
hecat
egor
iesofWast
ewat
er.However
,when
sl
udgef
rom wast
ewat
ert
reat
menti
str
ansf
err
edt
oananaer
obi
c
f
aci
li
tywhi
chi
sco-
digest
ingsl
udgewi
thsol
idmuni
cipalor
ot
herwast
e,anyr
elat
edCH4andni
tr
ousoxi
de(
N2O)emi
ssi
ons
shoul
dber
epor
tedundert
hiscat
egor
y,bi
ologi
calt
reat
mentof
sol
idwast
e.Wher
ethesegasesar
eusedf
orener
gy,t
hen
associ
atedemi
ssi
onsshoul
dber
epor
tedi
ntheEner
gySect
or.
Compost
ingi
sanaer
obi
cpr
ocessandal
argef
ract
ionoft
he
degr
adabl
eor
gani
ccar
bon(
DOC)i
nthewast
emat
eri
ali
s
conver
tedi
ntocar
bondi
oxi
de(
CO2)
.CH4i
sfor
medi
nanaer
obi
c
sect
ionsoft
hecompost
,buti
tisoxi
disedt
oal
argeext
enti
nthe
aer
obi
csect
ionsoft
hecompost
.Theest
imat
edCH4r
eleased
i
ntot
heat
mospher
erangesf
rom l
esst
han1per
centt
oaf
ew
percentoft
hei
nit
ialcar
boncont
enti
nthemat
eri
al(
Beck-
Fri
is,
2001;Det
zeletal
.,2003;Ar
nol
d,2005)
.

Compost
ingcanal
sopr
oduceemi
ssi
onsofN2O.Ther
angeof
t
heest
imat
edemi
ssi
onsvar
iesf
rom l
esst
han0.
5per
centt
o5
per
centoft
hei
nit
ialni
tr
ogencont
entoft
hemat
eri
al.
Poor
ly
wor
kingcompost
sar
eli
kel
ytopr
oducemor
ebot
hofCH4and
N2O(
e.g.
,Vest
eri
nen,1996)
.

Anaer
obi
cdi
gest
ionofor
gani
cwast
eexpedi
test
henat
ural
decomposi
ti
onofor
gani
cmat
eri
alwi
thoutoxygenby
mai
ntai
ningt
het
emper
atur
e,moi
stur
econt
entandpHcl
oset
o
t
hei
ropt
imum val
ues.Gener
atedCH4canbeusedt
opr
oduce
heatand/
orel
ect
ri
cit
y,wher
efor
erepor
ti
ngofemi
ssi
onsf
rom
t
hepr
ocessi
susual
lydonei
ntheEner
gySect
or.TheCO2
emi
ssi
onsar
eofbi
ogeni
cor
igi
n,andshoul
dber
epor
tedonl
yas
ani
nfor
mat
ioni
tem i
ntheEner
gySect
or.Emi
ssi
onsofCH4
f
rom suchf
aci
li
ti
esduet
ouni
ntent
ionall
eakagesdur
ing
pr
ocessdi
stur
bancesorot
herunexpect
edevent
swi
llgener
all
y
bebet
ween0and10per
centoft
heamountofCH4gener
ated.I
n
t
heabsenceoff
urt
heri
nfor
mat
ion,use5per
centasadef
aul
t
val
uef
ort
heCH4emi
ssi
ons.Wher
etechni
calst
andar
dsf
or
bi
ogaspl
ant
sensur
ethatuni
ntent
ionalCH4emi
ssi
onsar
e
f
lar
ed,CH4emi
ssi
onsar
eli
kel
ytobecl
oset
ozer
o.N2O
emi
ssi
onsf
rom t
hepr
ocessar
eassumedt
obenegl
igi
ble,
however
,thedat
aont
heseemi
ssi
onsar
ever
yscar
ce.

MECHANI
CALBI
OLOGI
CAL(
MB)METHOD

Mechani
cal
-bi
ologi
cal(
MB)t
reat
mentofwast
eisbecomi
ng
popul
ari
nEur
ope.I
nMBt
reat
ment
,thewast
emat
eri
al
under
goesaser
iesofmechani
calandbi
ologi
caloper
ati
onst
hat
ai
mtor
educet
hevol
umeoft
hewast
easwel
lasst
abi
li
sei
tto
r
educeemi
ssi
onsf
rom f
inaldi
sposal
.Theoper
ati
onsvar
y
byappl
icat
ion.Typi
cal
ly,t
hemechani
caloper
ati
onssepar
atet
he
wast
emat
eri
ali
ntof
ract
ionst
hatwi
llundergof
urt
hert
reat
ment
(
compost
ing,anaer
obi
cdi
gest
ion,combust
ion,r
ecycl
ing)
.
Thesemayi
ncl
udesepar
ati
on,shr
eddi
ngandcr
ushi
ngoft
he
mat
eri
al.Thebi
ologi
caloper
ati
onsi
ncl
udecompost
ingand
anaer
obi
cdi
gest
ion.Thecompost
ingcant
akepl
acei
nheapsor
i
ncompost
ingf
aci
li
ti
eswi
thopt
imi
sat
ionoft
hecondi
ti
onsof
t
hepr
ocessaswel
lasf
il
ter
ingoft
hepr
oducedgas.The
possi
bil
it
iest
oreducet
heamountofor
gani
cmat
eri
alt
obe
di
sposedatl
andf
il
lsar
elar
ge,40-
60per
cent(
Kaar
ti
nen,2004)
.
Duet
other
educedamounti
nmat
eri
al,or
gani
ccont
entand
bi
ologi
calact
ivi
ty,t
heMB-
treat
edwast
ewi
llpr
oduceupt
o95
per
centl
essCH4t
hanunt
reat
edwast
ewhendi
sposedi
nSWDS.
Thepr
act
icalr
educt
ionshavebeensmal
leranddependont
he
t
ypeanddur
ati
onofMBt
reat
ment
sinquest
ion(
seee.
g.,Bi
nner
,
2002)
.CH4andN2Oemi
ssi
onsdur
ingt
hedi
ffer
entphasesof
t
heMBt
reat
mentdependont
hespeci
fi
coper
ati
onsandt
he
dur
ati
onoft
hebi
ologi
calt
reat
ment
.Over
all
,bi
ologi
calt
reat
ment
ofwast
eaf
fect
stheamountandcomposi
ti
onofwast
ethatwi
ll
bedeposi
tedi
nSWDS.Wast
est
ream anal
yses(
seeexampl
ein
Box2.
1)ar
erecommendedmet
hodol
ogi
esf
orest
imat
ingt
he
i
mpactoft
hebi
ologi
calt
reat
mentonemi
ssi
onsf
rom SWDS.