Use of thermal analysis techniques (TG-DSC) for the characterization of diverse organic municipal waste streams to predict biological stability prior to land application

Journal Article · Sun Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2012 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.08.011· OSTI ID:21612933

Plaza, Cesar; Polo, Alfredo ^[1]; Plante, Alain F ^[2]

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1. Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006 Madrid (Spain)
2. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6316 (United States)

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal analysis was used to assess stability and composition of organic matter in three diverse municipal waste streams. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Results were compared with C mineralization during 90-day incubation, FTIR and {sup 13}C NMR. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal analysis reflected the differences between the organic wastes before and after the incubation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The calculated energy density showed a strong correlation with cumulative respiration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Conventional and thermal methods provide complimentary means of characterizing organic wastes. - Abstract: The use of organic municipal wastes as soil amendments is an increasing practice that can divert significant amounts of waste from landfill, and provides a potential source of nutrients and organic matter to ameliorate degraded soils. Due to the high heterogeneity of organic municipal waste streams, it is difficult to rapidly and cost-effectively establish their suitability as soil amendments using a single method. Thermal analysis has been proposed as an evolving technique to assess the stability and composition of the organic matter present in these wastes. In this study, three different organic municipal waste streams (i.e., a municipal waste compost (MC), a composted sewage sludge (CS) and a thermally dried sewage sludge (TS)) were characterized using conventional and thermal methods. The conventional methods used to test organic matter stability included laboratory incubation with measurement of respired C, and spectroscopic methods to characterize chemical composition. Carbon mineralization was measured during a 90-day incubation, and samples before and after incubation were analyzed by chemical (elemental analysis) and spectroscopic (infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance) methods. Results were compared with those obtained by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Total amounts of CO{sub 2} respired indicated that the organic matter in the TS was the least stable, while that in the CS was the most stable. This was confirmed by changes detected with the spectroscopic methods in the composition of the organic wastes due to C mineralization. Differences were especially pronounced for TS, which showed a remarkable loss of aliphatic and proteinaceous compounds during the incubation process. TG, and especially DSC analysis, clearly reflected these differences between the three organic wastes before and after the incubation. Furthermore, the calculated energy density, which represents the energy available per unit of organic matter, showed a strong correlation with cumulative respiration. Results obtained support the hypothesis of a potential link between the thermal and biological stability of the studied organic materials, and consequently the ability of thermal analysis to characterize the maturity of municipal organic wastes and composts.

• OSTI ID: 21612933
• Journal Information: Waste Management, Vol. 32, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2011.08.011; PII: S0956-053X(11)00371-0; Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CARBON
CARBON DIOXIDE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COMPOST
GROUND DISPOSAL
INFRARED SPECTRA
MINERALIZATION
MUNICIPAL WASTES
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
NUTRIENTS
ORGANIC MATTER
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATTER
NONMETALS
ORGANIC WASTES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RESONANCE
SEWAGE
SLUDGES
SPECTRA
THERMAL ANALYSIS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES