Biological reactivity of residual wastes and dependence on the duration of pretreatment

Abstract

The Austrian Landfill Ordinance (BGBL 169/96, 1996) sets standards for the types of waste which are allowed to be landfilled. There are limits for total organic compound (TOC), ignition loss (IL), calorific value and many other parameters describing the potential of harmful substances but no parameters checking the biological reactivity of waste. Experimental determination of gas-generating potential is well suited for the assessment of this reactivity because such methods (an incubation test developed by the Austrian Department of Waste Management [ABF-BOKU] ), allow researchers to reproduce the majority of 'natural conditions' in the laboratory. The problem with anaerobic tests is that the period over which the tests run tends to be long, which is why aerobic tests were also carried out. To reduce gas generating potential to less than 10%, a gas generation GS90 ≤ 20 N1 kg-1 dry substance (DS) Nl kg -1 DS is to be maintained. This research shows that the correlating respiration activity AT7 is between 12 and 15 mg O2 g-1 DS.

Modeling the final phase of landfill gas generation from long-term observations

“…The microbial gas generation of a solid waste sample under optimized anaerobic conditions (Binner and Zach 1999) is determined according to the specification of the Austrian Standard Institute (2004b), e.g. incubation test during a period of 21 days (GS 21 ).…”

Biostabilization of municipal solid waste

“…Potential biogas production and fermentable volatile solids (VSf) were used as additional methodologies to measure the biological stability of the treated waste, as suggested in the literature (Binner and Zach, 1998;Adani et al, 1998). In particular, evaluating potential biogas production is composed of an incubation test at 35°C with quantitative (L kg dm À1 ) and qualitative (CO 2 and CH 4 repartition) evaluation of the biogas produced during a 90-day test period (GS 90) .…”

The Application of FT-IR Spectroscopy in Waste Management

“…In this context the stability of waste organic matter is a fundamental criterion (Binner & Zach, 1999;Tesar et al, 2007;van Praagh et al, 2009). The proof of stability can be carried out by means of time-consuming biological tests that provide information on the current microbial activity under aerobic conditions and the gas forming potential under anaerobic conditions.…”

“…The proof of stability can be carried out by means of time-consuming biological tests that provide information on the current microbial activity under aerobic conditions and the gas forming potential under anaerobic conditions. These tests were primarily established for MBT waste to verify its stability prior to landfilling (Binner & Zach, 1999;Adani et al, 2004). The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the total organic carbon (TOC) are relevant parameters for the assessment of abandoned landfills according to the Austrian Landfill Ordinance (BMLFUW, 2008).…”