A Comparison of Waste Stability Indices for Mechanical–Biological Waste Treatment and Composting Plants

Andrzej Jędrczak and Monika Suchowska-Kisielewicz
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Andrzej Jędrczak: Institute of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
Monika Suchowska-Kisielewicz: Institute of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: Achieving high efficiency of biological waste treatment in mechanical–biological treatment (MBT) plants requires reliable methods for measuring the degree of biodegradation of organic substances. For this purpose, several physical, chemical, and biological indices are used. This paper presents respirometric activity (AT4), biogas potential (GB21), total and dissolved organic carbon (TOC and DOC, respectively), and loss on ignition (LOI) values, as well as the correlations between the indices selected for stabilized waste produced in 18 MBT plants in Poland, which use various technologies for biological processing of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The study confirms that there is a linear relationship between AT4 and GB21 for stabilized waste produced in MBT plants, regardless of the waste treatment technology used. It has also been found that there is a linear relationship between AT4 and the concentration of dissolved carbon in water extract from stabilized waste. This indicates that DOC can be used for monitoring the organic matter stabilization process in mechanical–biological waste treatment plants. Its advantage is a shorter time needed for measurements in comparison to AT4 and GB21 tests.

Keywords: MBT; respirometric activity (AT4); biogas potential (GB21) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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