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At 02:09 PM 8/11/2006 -0700, Matthew Cotton wrote: >John - > >>The DST also looks at the VOCs from landfills, and concludes that >>they are much lower than from composting sites. I don't know why -- >>which was the basis for my question; I would like hard data, rather >>than 'gut instincts'. > >I think the discrepancy is that organic materials are decomposed >aerobically at a composting facility, and anaerobically at a >landfill (that's pretty much a fact, not gut instinct). Comparing a >composting facility to a landfill on strictly one parameter (like >VOC emissions) is not reasonable or particularly useful. Yes, the >VOC emissions will be lower at a landfill, especially non-methane >emissions, in the same way that a landfill generates (and releases) >a lot more methane than a composting facility. Air quality managers concerned with ozone attainment will tend to pay a lot of attention to "VOCs" as a category. But it is a broad category and we need to consider what they actually are and their harmfulness..... Do the comparative numbers include assumptions regarding gas recovery from landfills? The biochemistry going on in composting does produce some NOx. See, for example: http://www.jgpress.com/compostscience/archives/_free/000913.html I think it is only realistic to recognize that there are significant air emissions associated with composting. In most cases these, put in perspective, will be the lesser evil. But there likely will be places where open-air composting is not ideal. I look forward to learning more about this. Alan Alan Muller, Executive Director Green Delaware Box 69 Port Penn, DE 19731 USA (302)834-3466 fax (302)836-3005 greendel@no.address www.greendel.org --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GreenYes" group. To post to this group, send email to GreenYes@no.address To unsubscribe from this group, send email to GreenYes-unsubscribe@no.address For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/GreenYes -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- |
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