Assessment of Bacteria and Virus Emissions at a Refuse Derived Fuel Plant and Other Waste Handling Facilities

摘要

The report is an executive summary of results of a program to compare relative levels of selected airborne bacteria and viruses within and around various waste handling facilities. Facilities included were an incinerator, a waste transfer station, a wastewater treatment plant, a landfill, and the St. Louis Refuse Processing Plant. The work also tested the bacteria removal efficiency of a mobile fabric filter. The results showed that uncontrolled bacteria levels, both in-plant and at the property line, are generally higher for the refuse processing plant than for the other facilities tested. The fabric filter significantly reduced the levels of bacteria in the dust emissions from the refuse plants' air density separator. This report is of interest to consulting engineers, planners, and government officials involved in resource recovery.