Emission of Volatile Organic Compounds during Composting of Poultry Litter

The objective of this study was to identify and quantify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during composting of poultry litter. The VOCs produced from in-vessel composting with a controlled aeration system were tested using the F-ITR method by VOC analyzer. Alkanes and alkylated benzenes were emitted in the highest amounts from poultry litter, while aldehydes, terpenes, ketones were emitted in much lesser amounts. Studies showed that VOCs generation was the greatest early during the composting process and greatly reduced thereafter. Composting temperatures were found to affect VOCs. All VOCs were least with the high temperatures generated during composting.