Effect of landfill odorous gas on surrounding environment: A field investigation and numerical analysis in a large-scale landfill in Hangzhou, China

Abstract

Landfill odorous gas emission has been a serious environmental problem. In this paper, in situ monitoring and numerical analysis model Calpuff were adopted to analyze the odour nuisance problem near a large-scale landfill in Hangzhou, east of China. The static chamber technique was used to measure the odorous gas emission intensity on the working area surface in the landfill during the Sep. 2016 to Apr. 2017, irregularly. The obtained results indicated that the emission rate of H 2 S varied from 6.14 mg/m 2 /h to 91.7 mg/m 2 /h. The average emission rate in each month was then used in the Calpuff model to analyze the emission pattern of the H 2 S. The terrain and meteorological conditions at the site were also considered. Concentration of H 2 S at the community which is 4.2 km away from the landfill is 15 times greater than its olfactory thresholds (0.62 μg/m 3 ). In order to keep the odorous influence area within landfill site, proper engineering measures should be taken to ensure the emission rate of H 2 S drops to the 15% of its original value.