Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #430691
Research Project: Strategies to Manage Feed Nutrients, Reduce Gas Emissions, and Promote Soil Health for Beef and Dairy Cattle Production Systems of the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Characterization and implications of volatile organic compounds release from raw and torrefied biogenic refuse-derived fuel components

Author
item HEJNA, MALGORZATA - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences
item LYCZKO, JACEK - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences
item Koziel, Jacek
item ARMSTRONG, EMMA - Suny College
item NIRI, VADOUD - Suny College
item HADDADI, SHOKOUH - Suny College
item ANYSZKIEWICZ, JACEK - Lukasiewicz Research Network – Institute Of Non-Ferrous Metals
item BIALOWIEC, ANDRZEJ - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences

Submitted to: Preprints
Publication Type: Pre-print Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/14/2025
Publication Date: 10/14/2025
Citation: Hejna, M., Lyczko, J., Koziel, J.A., Armstrong, E., Niri, V., Haddadi, S., Anyszkiewicz, J., Bialowiec, A. 2025. Characterization and implications of volatile organic compounds release from raw and torrefied biogenic refuse-derived fuel components. SSRN. Available: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5603469.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5603469

Interpretive Summary: Adding value to abundant waste materials have been proposed to improve the economic well-being of many parts of the world. Technologies converting waste to energy can be part of the solution. Thermal treatment (roasting at low temperatures) of common waste headed for landfills can be used to produce fuel called RDF. Yet, the RDF production itself carries the risk of emitting harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Unfortunately, safety of RDF production is poorly understood. Accordingly, researchers from ARS (Bushland, Texas), SUNY Oswego, Lukasiewicz Research Network (Poland) and Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland) demonstrated a release of hazardous VOC emissions during RDF production. The team identified toxic compounds of potential greatest impact on the occupational and end-user exposure to VOCs. These findings help to move this technology from lab to industry.

Technical Abstract: The torrefaction of waste biomass to produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF) offers a promising route for waste valorization, yet the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during this process raises concerns regarding environmental and occupational safety. This study investigates VOC release from four biogenic RDF components (cellulose, chicken meat, pine sawdust, starch) torrefied at 200–300'°C. Ninety VOCs were identified and characterized for their properties. Significant differences in VOC composition were observed among the feedstocks: cellulose exhibited the lowest release levels, dominated by small aldehydes; chicken meat released diverse nitrogenous and sulfur-containing compounds; pine sawdust emitted terpenes and lignin-derived aromatics; and starch produced abundant furans and acids. Hazardous VOCs such as furfural, dimethyl disulfide, and toluene were identified. Cross-referencing with the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging regulation revealed 23 VOCs bearing health- and environment-related hazard statements. Notably, protein- and lignin-rich components produced the most toxicologically relevant profiles. The findings underscore the importance of feedstock screening, release control, and tailored, customized torrefaction protocols. This component-level approach enables targeted risk mitigation strategies and informs policy development for waste-to-energy applications. Future work should assess VOC interactions in mixed RDF and explore mitigation technologies for hazardous emissions from thermal processing.