Abstract:
Non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) emitted from municipal solid waste landfills are important odorous pollutants and ozone formation precursors. Enhanced aerobic stabilization process can effectively shorten the stabilization period of municipal solid waste (MSW). The aim of this study is to understand the change characteristics, concentrations, and the potential environmental impact of NMOCs. Specifically, 10 gas samples were collected from the landfill working surface, the interior of the landfill and the HDPE membrane breakage both in the aeration and non-aeration stage during the reclamation of a municipal solid waste landfill in Hebei Province. The corresponding components and concentrations were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The results showed that: (1) A total of 57 NMOCs were detected in samples, and the total concentration of NMOCs in the aeration stage (10, 555.88 μg/m
3) was 67% lower than that in the non-aeration stage (32, 358.81 μg/m
3), which apparently mitigate the release of NMOCs. (2) The average concentration of alkene in all samples had the highest proportion (42.6%), and propylene (1, 007.28 μg/m
3) and n-butene (822.77 μg/m
3) were the two substances with the highest average concentrations. (3) According to correlation analysis and principal component analysis, the sources of various substances in the aeration stage were similar or affected by the same environmental factors. Compared with other NMOCs, the sources of halogenated compounds in the non-aeration stage were significantly different. (4) By using the propylene-equivalent concentration method and the maximum increment reactivity method, the ozone formation potential in the aeration stage decreased by 71% and 73%, respectively, compared with the non-aeration stage. Thus, the release concentration of ozone forming precursors could be efficiently reduced through the enhanced stabilization. Alkene was the most important contributor to ozone formation potential, accounting for 86% of the total potential in the enhanced aerobic stabilization process. However, based on the results of 9 samples, the ozone formation potential may cause air quality problems, which was 1-525 times of the limit value of level Ⅱ (200 μg/m
3) in
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (GB 3095-2012). The results showed that the alkene was the main released NMOCs in the enhanced aerobic stabilization process.