Characterization of odorous charge and photochemical reactivity of VOC emissions from a full-scale food waste treatment plant in China

Food waste treatment plants （FWTPs） are usually associated with odorous nuisance and health risks, which are partially caused by volatile organic compound （VOC） emissions. This study investigated the VOC emissions from a selected full-scale FWTP in China. The feedstock used in this plant was mainly collected from local restaurants. For a year, the FWTP was closely monitored on specific days in each season. Four major indoor treatment units of the plant, including the storage room, sorting/crushing room, hydrothermal hydrolysis unit, and aerobic fermentation unit, were chosen as the monitoring locations. The highest mean concentration of total VOC emissions was observed in the aerobic fermentation unit at 21,748.2-31,283.3 μg/m^3, followed by the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit at 10,798.1-23,144.4 μg/m^3. The detected VOC families included biogenic compounds （oxygenated compounds, hydrocarbons, terpenes, and organosulfur compounds） and abiogenic compounds （aromatic hydrocarbons and halocarbons）. Oxygenated compounds, particularly alcohols, were the most abundant compounds in all samples. With the use of odor index analysis and principal components analysis, the hydrothermal hydrolysis and aerobic fermentation units were clearly distinguished from the pre-treatment units, as characterized by their higher contributions to odorous nuisance. Methanthiol was the dominant odorant in the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit, whereas aldehyde was the dominant odorant in the aerobic fermentation unit. Terpenes, specifically limonene, had the highest level of propylene equivalent concentration during the monitoring periods. This concentration can contribute to the increase in the atmospheric reactivity and ozone formation potential in the surrounding air.

Detectability of the global weed Hypochaeris radicata is influenced by species, environment and observer characteristics

Aims to determine the detectability of a global weedy perennial weed Hypochaeris radicata and its relationship with five common observer,species and environmental variables.Methods trained independent observers conducted time-limited repeat sur-veys of H.radicata during autumn in an endangered grassy box-gum woodland ecosystem in south-east australia.single-species single-season site-occupancy modelling was used to determine if detectability of H.radicata was altered by five covariates,observer,litter height,grazing,maximum plant height and flowering state.Important Findings Detectability for H.radicata varied significantly with observer,litter height,plant maximum height and flowering state,but not with graz-ing.Despite significant observer-specific variation,there was a con-sistent increase in detectability with plant height and when plants are in flower for all observers.Detectability generally decreased as litter height increases.Perfect or constant detection rates cannot be assumed in plant surveys,even for easily recognizable plants in simple survey conditions.understanding how detectability is influ-enced by common survey variables can help improve the efficacy of plant monitoring programs by quantifying the extent of uncertainty in inferences made from survey data,or by determining optimal sur-vey conditions to increase the reliability of collected data.For plants with traits similar to H.radicata,surveying when most plants are at maximum height or in flower,increasing search intensity when litter levels are high and minimizing observer-related heterogeneity are potentially simple and effective ways to reduce detection errors.We speculate that detection rates may be lower,more variable and involve additional covariates when surveying during the peak flow-ering spring season with the presence of more warm season and taller annual species.