Monitoring of Gas Production during the Biowaste Composting

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to monitor the production and composition of gases from the biowaste landfill in terms of the utilized composting process technology. Processing technology of biowaste in the reference sample V1 was without modification; process optimization technology-material homogenization by overturning and irrigation-was used for the second sample V2. Gas measurements (methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrous oxide) were conducted during the first and sixth weeks after their establishing. At the same time, samples were taken for laboratory determination of the dry matter content of examined materials, pH and C/N ratio. It has been statistically proved that there was a significantly higher gas production in V2, which was overturned and irrigated, than in V1. The measured CO2 values were 2.5 times higher in V2 in comparison to V1. The mean CH4 production in the stack V1 was 96.35 mg·m-3 and 235.9 mg·m-3 in the stack V2, which is 2.5 times more. Due to overturning and irrigation of composted material in the stack V2, the decomposition of microorganisms was faster, which also affected the amount of released gases.