Biogas--municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash interactions: sulphur compounds removal

This study focuses on a new way of reusing municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash: landfill gas purification before energetic valorisation. A pilot plant was designed and operated on a landfill site located in France (Loire). One kilogram bottom ash is able to sequestrate more than 3.0 g of hydrogen sulphide, 44 mg of methyl mercaptan, and 86 mg of dimethyl sulphide. Hydrogen sulphide retention is probably due to acid-basic reactions conducting to sulphur mineralisation under the form of low solubility metal sulphides. The reaction medium is hydration water. The retention mechanism for methyl mercaptan is probably similar but dimethyl sulphide is most likely retained by physical adsorption. As methane is not retained by bottom ash, the landfill gas energetic content will not be lowered. There seems to be no appreciable difference in these results whether bottom ash is fresh or carbonated. These results are encouraging in the perspective of a field scale application of this biogas treatment process.