Identification of odorous gases originating from refuse waste

The complex mixture of gaseous compounds emitted from refuse wastes was scrubbed through an activated carbon column until odor breakthrough occurred. Refuse air samples were collected at the influent and effluent ports of the column for analysis on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer system. Sampling techniques involved the concentration of gaseous volatiles on Tenax GC adsorption tubes prior to thermal desorption onto a capillary fused-silica column for compound separation. Separated compounds were scanned by a quadrapole mass selective detector and compounds were matched against a library of mass spectra and available gas standards. Results indicated that the typical odorous gases emitted from refuse waste consisted mainly of carboxylic acids and some S compounds. Sensory tests revealed that a sweetish odor was associated with the carboxylic acids which eluted from the carbon column first.