Seasonal characteristics of odor and methane mitigation and the bacterial community dynamics in an on-site biocover at a sanitary landfill

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) Vol. 71; pp. 277 - 286
• Main Authors: Lee, Yun-Yeong, Jung, Hyekyeng, Ryu, Hee-Wook, Oh, Kyung-Cheol, Jeon, Jun-Min, Cho, Kyung-Suk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2018
• Subjects: Bacterial community structure; Landfills; Methane removal; Odor removal; On-site biocover; On-site biocover; Methane removal; Bacterial community structure; Landfills; Odor removal
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.10.037

•Simultaneous mitigation of odor and methane was evaluated in an on-site biocover.•The biocover had high removability for odors without seasonal effects.•Methane removability was improved with increasing ambient temperature.•The ratio of methanotrophs was increased as methane removability increased.•Methylobacter was the dominant methanotroph in all seasons. Landfills are key anthropogenic emission sources for odors and methane. For simultaneous mitigation of odors and methane emitted from landfills, a pilot-scale biocover (soil:perlite:earthworm cast:compost, 6:2:1:1, v/v) was constructed at a sanitary landfill in South Korea, and the biocover performance and its bacterial community dynamics were monitored for 240 days. The removal efficiencies of odor and methane were evaluated to compare the odor dilution ratios or methane concentrations at the biocover surface and landfill soil cover surface where the biocover was not installed. The odor removal efficiency was maintained above 85% in all seasons. The odor dilution ratios ranged from 300 to 3000 at the biocover surface, but they were 6694–20,801 at the landfill soil cover surface. Additionally, the methane removal efficiency was influenced by the ambient temperature; the methane removal efficiency in winter was 35–43%, while the methane removability was enhanced to 85%, 86%, and 96% in spring, early summer, and late summer, respectively. The ratio of methanotrophs to total bacterial community increased with increasing ambient temperature from 5.4% (in winter) to 12.8–14.8% (in summer). In winter, non-methanotrophs, such as Acinetobacter (8.8%), Rhodanobacter (7.5%), Pedobacter (7.5%), and Arthrobacter (5.7%), were abundant. However, in late summer, Methylobacter (8.8%), Methylocaldum (3.4%), Mycobacterium (1.1%), and Desulviicoccus (0.9%) were the dominant bacteria. Methylobacter was the dominant methanotroph in all seasons. These seasonal characteristics of the on-site biocover performance and its bacterial community are useful for designing a full-scale biocover for the simultaneous mitigation of odors and methane at landfills.