Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds from Compost

Many US states have adopted regulations to divert food waste from landfills to composts. While this may lower greenhouse emissions from landfills, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from compost may contain hazardous air pollutants or produce odors, posing potential public health concerns. Effective methods to analyze speciated VOCs in compost are needed to better understand VOC source generation. Here, a two-component compost sampling method was developed and employed consisting of a chilled impinger and pump apparatus to trap water-soluble VOCs, and dual sorbent tubes to capture hydrophobic VOCs in yard and food/yard waste compost. VOCs were measured via headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HS-GC-FID) and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). Overall, there was higher VOC generation within higher-temperature compost piles, with concentrations ranging up to 27,000 ppm for ethanol and 3500 ppm for methanol. Alpha-pinene and D-limonene were seen in these piles with concentrations over 1600 ppb. Methanol and ethanol were more than one thousand times as concentrated in mixed food/yard waste than yard waste alone, while terpenes were seen in slightly higher concentrations for yard waste than the mixed food/yard waste. Methanol was observed to be higher than permissible indoor levels and may pose potential health risks.