Characterizing Emissions from Open Burning of Military Food Waste and Packaging from Forward Operating Bases

Abstract

Emissions were characterized and compared from the open burning of four compositions of Meals, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) and four types of MRE fiberboard packaging in response to inhalation concerns at military forward operating bases. Measurements of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) showed that MREs account for 70-90 percent of PM emissions when burned in unison with the current fiberboard container and liner and that PM2.5 constitutes a vast majority of the particulates emitted. Targeted replacement of MRE constituents may be more effective in reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions than the variation of fiberboard packaging designs, while polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxin and -furan (PCDD/PCDF) emissions are believed to be more closely related to other components of a military waste stream. MRE and fiberboard types each respectively produced equivalent PM, PAH, VOC, and PCDD/PCDF emission factors. This study provides the first representative characterization of open burning emissions associated with military rations separate from comprehensive military waste streams.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 24, 2016
Accession Number
AD1054080

Entities

People

  • Thomas Dominguez

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkanes
  • Alkenes
  • Body Weight
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Medical Personnel
  • Organic Chemistry
  • United States Central Command

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Gender and Food Studies