Emission monitoring of waste treatment plants

The further development of measurement methods for the quantification and evaluation of the long-term environmental behaviour of waste is a focal point at ABF-BOKU. In particular, practical emission monitoring during landfilling, mechanical-biological waste treatment and biological waste utilisation (e.g. composting and biogas production) is the focus of research. New analytical instruments for emission monitoring of greenhouse gases (e.g. methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide), such as the optical remote measurement methods and continuous laser measurement methods, which are being used for the first time in Austria, are available for this purpose.
A new research focus is currently also the development of innovative sensor technology, which will be used for the (online) monitoring of diffuse emissions from landfill surface covers, biofilters, open composting of rents, fermentation residue storage, etc.
This is to be used primarily in combination with drones.

Contact:
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn Marion Huber-Humer
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Marlies Hrad

lead publication
  • Hrad, M., Piringer, M., Huber-Humer, M. (2015): Determining methane emissions from biogas plants - Operational and meteorological aspects. Bioresource Technology 191, pp. 234-243.
     
  • Hrad, M.,Binner,E.,Piringer,M., Huber-Humer,M.(2014): Quantification of methane emissions from full-scale oppen windrow composting of biowaste using an inverse disperion techique. Waste Management 34,pp.2245 - 2453.
     
  • Hrad, M., Piringer, M., Kamard, L., Baumann-Stanzer, K., Huber-Humer, M. (2014): Multisource emission retrieval within a biogas plant based on inverse dispersion calculations – a real-life example. Environ. Monit. Assess. 186, pp. 6251 – 6262
     
  • Tintner J., Smidt E., Böhm K., Binner E. (2010): Investigations of biological processes in Austrian MBT plants. Waste Management 30, pp. 1903 - 1907.
     
  • Meissl K., Smidt E., Tintner J. (2008): Reproducibility of FTIR spectra of compost, municipal solid waste and landfill material. In: Applied Spectroscopy, 62/2, pp. 190-196.
projects

  KLIMONEFF - Climate gas monitoring to optimize the energy balance and process efficiency of biogas plants
    (FFG project 2011- 2013)

In the KLIMONEFF project, which has been running since June 2011 and is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund, optimisation potential for increasing the efficiency of various process units and plant components in biogas plants is being investigated. On the one hand, innovative open-path measurement technologies (applied for the first time in Austria for ongoing measurements) and fermentation residue investigations of different plants are used. In parallel, a quantification tool for greenhouse gas emissions is to be developed based on real measured values. By detecting and quantifying methane losses from various plant components, targeted optimisation measures can be taken in the future to increase the energy efficiency of biogas plants.

final report

Contact: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn Marion Huber-Humer