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Biomedical subjects

P E Rosenfeld

Publications and source records attributed to P E Rosenfeld.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Compost odor control using high carbon wood ash.

A pilot study on the feasibility of using high carbon wood ash to control composting odor emissions was conducted at a green material composting facility. The study's treatments consisted of adding 0%, 12.5%, and 25% high carbon wood ash by volume to green-material compost feedstock in three separate windrows. The wood ash has properties similar to activated carbon with an active surface area of 105 square metres per gram on a dry weight basis. The odorant emission data suggest that the higher percentage wood ash treatment results in the most effective control of most compost odors and that wood ash provides effective treatment of volatile fatty acids and some aldehydes and ketones. The 25% wood ash treatment resulted in more effective treatment of odors for a longer time period than the 12.5% treatment. Acetaldehyde had the highest concentration in the control (14,000 times its odor threshold concentration), was reduced by high carbon ash by over 97% but remained 386 times its reported odor threshold concentration after 14 days. Ethyl mecaptan and ammonia were produced in the process and were also over their reported human detection limits.

Adsorption↗

Understanding odorants associated with compost, biomass facilities, and the land application of biosolids.

Odorous water and air can result from compost, biomass facilities and land application of biosolids. Common odorous compounds from these biodegradation systems include alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids, solvents and various sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Each odorant possesses a unique individual odor signature i.e. odor character or quality, odor threshold concentration and chemical concentration. This paper develops an initial understanding of how the volatile odorous chemicals and their relative concentrations produced are related to the total odor quality from the process by their odor threshold concentrations. The compost process is used as an example. It was estimated, that on day 1 and 7, the primary fatty acids controlling the fermented and rotten odors were butyric acid and valeric acids, individually, unpleasant and rancid odors, respectively, although acetic acid had the highest fatty acid concentration on both days. In the same way, aldehydes and ketones controlled the disappearance of the sweet odor from day 1 to 7.

Acids↗

The value of an odor-quality-wheel classification scheme for wastewater treatment plants.

Each odorant possesses a unique odor signature (i.e. odor character or quality, odor threshold and chemical concentration). This paper develops an initial understanding of how the volatile odorous chemicals and their relative concentrations produced are related to the total odor quality from the process by their odor threshold concentrations and odor signatures.

Environmental Monitoring↗

Wastewater dewatering polymer affect on biosolids odor emissions and microbial activity.

Odor emissions and microbial activity associated with biosolids dewatered using seven different polyacrylamide cationic polymers were investigated. Nitrogen, sulfur, ketone, and odor unit emissions, and biosolids microbial community metabolic profiles were measured for biosolids containing each polymer. Ammonia represented more than 98% of total nitrogen flux for all polymers, with small concentrations of trimethyl amine. Dimethyl disulfide and carbon disulfide fluxes summed represented 87 to 97% of the sulfur flux for all polymers, with lesser quantities of dimethyl sulfide. Maximum dimethyl disulfide, ammonia, and trimethyl amine concentrations were estimated to be 3.4, 3.2, and 13.5 times greater than published detection limits, respectively. Maximum dimethyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, acetone, and methyl ethyl ketone concentrations were estimated to be 0.028, 0.007, 0.002, and 0.0006 times less than published detection limits, respectively. All treatments were found to volatilize equal odor unit emissions (with the exception of one polymer), and polymers were not found to dramatically affect odor emission from biosolids application. Metabolic fingerprints revealed differences in the ability of microbial communities from certain polymer treatments to degrade amino acids as a sole carbon substrate. In addition, odor unit emissions were significantly correlated with potential for amino acid decomposition.

Amino Acids↗