ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Application of a Natural Cover during Sewage
Sludge Composting to Reduce Gaseous Emissions
Eglė Zuokaitė, Aušra Zigmontienė
More details
Hide details
Department of Environmental Protection, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University,
Saulėtekio al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(2):621-626
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Large amounts of sewage sludge are generated in the process of sewage treatment. Sewage treatment
and sewage sludge treatment and handling inevitably cause the problem of gas emissions and unpleasant
smells. Degradation of organic matter results in the emissions of gases with an unpleasant smell (NH3, H2S,
etc.), as well as greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O). The processes of biodegradation occur in nature and under
artificial conditions, during composting. Our analysis covers the experimental results of sewage sludge composting
by investigating NH3, H2S, CO2, and VOC emissions. The experiment used surplus sludge from
sewage treatment facilities that were dewatered with centrifuges (75.9% humidity). Additional materials
applied included wood bark, sawdust, peat, and a grass layer (a lawn roll). Composting was performed in the
“facilities” simulating a composting site.