The Open University ’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Monitoring bioaerosol and odour emissions from composting facilities - WR 1121

(2013). Monitoring bioaerosol and odour emissions from composting facilities-WR1121. DEFRA, London. For guidance on citations see FAQs. Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online's data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. Executive Summary Government policy requires that valuable resources should be recovered and recycled from biodegradable waste. A successful and growing organics recycling industry delivers this policy with composting being one of the principal technologies deployed to process suitable feedstock such as garden and food waste. Composting inevitably generates bioaerosols – particulate matter comprising cells or cellular components that are released into the air as a result of processing of composting feedstock and the preparation of final product. Exposure to bioaerosols has the potential to be harmful to human health. The Environment Agency adopts a precautionary approach to the regulation of composting facilities which was developed on the basis of research by Wheeler et al. (2001). As new evidence has become available no information has suggested a material change to this approach. The Environment Agency also requires site operators to monitor bioaerosols if they have sensitive receptors within 250m around their facilities using methods specified in a standard protocol which relies upon classical microbiology methods which are tried and tested but which are labour-intensive, slow and offer only a snapshot view of a highly dynamic system. A recent IOM review commissioned by Defra (Searl, 2009) on exposure-response relationships for bioaerosol emissions from waste treatment processes identified significant gaps in knowledge of exposure to bioaerosols and recommended that more research was needed into alternatives to viable microbial monitoring such as endotoxin and potential surrogates such as particulate matter. The IOM review also concluded that there is a lack of information to support the relaxation of current precautionary stand-off distances. The overall aim of this project was to provide evidence on bioaerosol production, dispersion and potential exposures from composting facilities in support of future developments in policy and regulation of biowaste facilities. The objectives were: (i) to undertake a comprehensive set of standard and novel bioaerosol measurements at representative composting sites to assess comparability between different methods and also to measure spatial and temporal variations; and (ii) to determine the odour emissions and then compare these with bioaerosol emissions to see if odour is a marker of significant …