Solid Waste Management

Presented by:
Mahmoud I. Mahmoud
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department
Cihan University-Erbil
 Presentation outline
 Definition Solid Waste
 Classification Solid Waste
 Methods of Disposal of Solid Waste
Open Dumping
Sanitary Land filling
Incineration
Compositing
Reuse, Recovery and Recycling
Solid Waste
 Solid Waste is often referred as 3rdpollution after
air and water pollution.
 It refers to all those materials which arises from
man made activities which is discarded as useless
or unwanted.
 Solid Waste is defined as any solid matter which
is discarded as no longer being useful. It contains
both organic and inorganic matters.
Solid Waste
 Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is waste
collected by or on behalf of a local authority. It
mostly comprises of household waste, although
it may also include some commercial and
industrial wastes. MSW is more commonly
known as trash or garbage, and it consists of
everyday items such as product packaging, grass
clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food
scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and
batteries.
Why Worry?
 Solid waste if not treated properly shall be
responsible for air, water and land pollution.
 For ex. Open Dumping pollute the land from
an aesthetic as well as use point of view.
 Solid waste dumped in ocean, river beds form
dead zones in which neither plants nor animals
can survive.
Can it be Reused?
 Solid waste also contains significant amount
of valuable matter.
 Almost 40-50% of urban waste is paper which
is recycled can replace virgin stock
requirement.
 Different methods for its disposal :
Open Dumping
Sanitary Land filling
Incineration
Compositing
Reuse, Recovery and Recycling
Problems associated with
Disposal.
 The disposal of solid waste has always been a huge
problem throughout India. The majority of landfills
in India are open dumps without leachate or gas
recovery systems.
 Several are located in ecological or hydrologically
sensitive areas.
 Municipal budgetary allocations for operation and
maintenance are always inadequate.
 Careless and indiscriminate open dumping of wastes
creates unsightly and unsanitary conditions
within municipalities e.g. along the roads and
highways.
 Delay in delivery of solid wastes to landfills, resulting
in nuisance dumps and unpleasant odours which
attract flies and other mosquitoes. Such dumps
also lead to pollution of land/soils, ground and
surface water through leachate and air through
emission of noxious and offensive gases.
 In most municipalities, Scavenging on refuse
dumps is a common practice, and such people face
danger of direct exposure to hazardous waste. Open
solid waste dumps can also provide suitable
breeding places for vermin, flies and other disease
vectors.
 Some categories of solid wastes block permeability
of soils and drainage systems, including water
courses, open drains and sewers, thus posing
difficulties in the functioning and maintenance of
such facilities.
Classification of SW
Partly on Basis of Content, Moisture, Heating Value (HV).
 Garbage: It refers to putrescible (liable to get decayed)
solid waste constituents produced during the
preparation or storage of meat, fruit, vegetable etc.
These wastes have moisture content of about 70%. HV
= 6*106J/Kg
 Rubbish: It refers to non-putrescible solid waste
constituents, either combustible or non combustible.
Combustible would include paper, wood, scrap etc and
Non combustible would include metal, glass, ceramic
etc. These wastes have moisture content of about 25%.
HV = 15*106J/Kg
 Pathological Waste: It refers to dead animals, humans
etc. These wastes have moisture content of about 85%.
HV = 15*106J/Kg
 Industrial Waste:
 It includes any discarded solid materials resulting from
an industrial operation, dissolved solid or solids in
domestic or industrial waste water. Chemicals, paints,
sand, metal ore processing, flyash, sewage treatment
sludge etc.
 Agricultural
Waste:are generally organic including pesticides,
These
herbicides, excessive fertilizers etc. The table below
represents various agricultural wastes :
Crop Residue Corn stalks, grain stubble, cull, fruit and
vegetables, rice hulls, bagasse etc.
Animal & Organic matter, protein, fat, carbohydrates etc.
Poultry nitrogen, phosphorous.
Manure
Pesticides, Chlorinated hydrocarbons, organo phosphorous
Insecticides, compounds, other organic and inorganic
etc. Residue compounds like sulphur, lead, arsenic etc.
& Containers
Classification of MSW
 MSW can be classified into Recyclable Waste, Organic
Fraction, Inert Debris and Hazardous Waste.
 MSW can also be classified into "Dry And "Wet"
materials on the basis of their moisture content.
 From the perspective of energy recovery, the non-
recyclable "Dry" fraction can be divided into
Combustible materials such as paper, plastics and
wood; and Non-combustible or "inert" materials such
as metals and glasses.
 Medical or clinical waste from medical institutions can
be classified into the following types: General Waste,
Sharp Objects such as used Needles, Blades and
Scissors; Syringes, Pathological Wastes, including
contaminated Bandages, Dressings, Linens, dead
tissues, Organs etc; and Radioactive Wastes.
 Biodegradable waste include mainly organic wastes
such as Peelings Of Potatoes, Bananas, Saw Dust and
Water Hyacinth dumped within the municipal environs,
etc.
 Non-biodegradable waste e.g. Polythene Bags, Plastic
Products, Pesticide Residues, Process Wastes, highly
Flammable And Volatile Substances, Furniture,
abandoned Vehicles, used Tyres; industrial wastes
including Metal Scrap and Medical Wastes such as used
needles, plastic and glass bottles and syringes.
Disposal Methods
 Incineration:
Energy is stored in chemical form in all solid waste
materials that contain organic compounds i.e. which can
be used to generate electricity and steam. It is being done
by a few major hospitals for managing clinical wastes.
 Composting: The natural organic components of solid
waste (Food and plant wastes, paper, etc) can be
composted Aerobically To CO2, H2O, and a compost
product that can be used as soil conditioner. Anaerobic
digestion or fermentation produces CH4, Alcohol and a
compost product.
 Recovery/Recycling:
Recovered paper, plastic, metal, and glass can be re-used.
In the absence of formalized waste segregation practices,
recycling has emerged only as an informal sector using
outdated technology, which causes serious health
problems to waste–pickers.
 Land filling:
Solid waste materials that cannot be subjected to any of the
above three method, plus any residuals from these
processes (e.g. ash from combustion) must be disposed in
properly designed landfills
Open Dumping
 Practiced extensively in India because it is cheap and
requires no planning.
 Generally, the low-lying areas and out-skirts of the
towns and cities are used for the purpose.
 The open dumps cause public health problems by
encouraging the breeding of flies, rats, mosquitoes
and other pests.
 They also become a source of objectionable odours
and cause air pollution when the wastes are burned in
order to reduce their volume and conserve space.
Sanitary Land Filling
 Landfills include any site which is used for more than a
year for the temporary storage of waste; and, any
internal waste disposal site, that is to say a site where
a producer of waste is carrying out its own waste
disposal at the place of production.
 Landfills does not
include
(a)Any facility where waste is unloaded in order to
permit its preparation for further transport for
recovery, treatment or disposal elsewhere;
(b)Any site where waste is stored as a general rule for a
period of less than three years prior to recovery or
treatment; or,
(c)Any site where waste is stored for a period of less
than one year prior to disposal.
How it works
 In sanitary landfill operation, refuse is spread and
compacted in thin layers within a small area. This layered
structure is usually referred to as a Cell.
 To allow for proper compaction, the cell depth should
not exceed about 2 meters.
 The cell is then covered with a layer of soil which is
spread uniformly and then compacted.
 To provide an adequate seal the cover should normally
be at least 20 cm thick.
 If the refuse includes large irregular objects it may be
necessary to increase the thickness of the cover.
How it works
 On the other hand, a cover thickness of less than 15 cm
may be satisfactory if the refuse has been pulverized.
 When a number of cells reach the final desired elevation,
a final cover of about one meter of earth is placed and it
is again compacted.
 Landfill must be provided with Liners to prevent the
migration of waste out of landfill to adjacent surface soil
or ground water or surface water during anytime.
Liner Characteristics
 High chemical resistance, Durability, Low Permeability.
 Withstand Climatic Conditions and Pressure.
 Must be accompanied with base supporting system in
order to prevent liner from settlement or failure.
 Should cover all surrounding surface which is likely to be
exposed.
Decomposition Process
 MSW contains a large proportion of organic materials
that naturally decompose when land filled.
 This decomposition process initially is aerobic where
the main by-products are carbon dioxide, plus
contaminated water.
 After the oxygen within the waste profile is consumed, it
switches over to anaerobic processes. In the anaerobic
process, carbon dioxide and methane are produced as
waste decomposes. Liquid by-products contain a large
concentration of various contaminants that naturally
move toward the landfill’s base.
 The decomposition process continues for many years.
As this takes place, trace quantities of materials that may
have significant impacts upon the environment can be
contained in both the landfill gas and in the leachate.
These trace materials are generated until the landfill
becomes completely stabilized.
 Although it isn’t known how long this will take, some
estimate between 300 and 1,000 years
Incineration
 The term ‘INCINERATION’ is used to describe
processes that combust waste and recovers energy.
 In mass burning systems, the refuse is burned in an "as
received" condition.
 Generally, in mass burning systems all of the waste
entering the facility is dumped into a large storage pit,
with bulky items being removed prior to entering the
combustion chamber. In order to allow the combustion
to take place a sufficient quantity of oxygen is required
to fully oxidize the fuel.
 Incineration plant combustion temperatures are in
excess of 850°C and the waste is mostly converted into
CO2 and H2O and any non-combustible materials
(e.g. metals, glass, stones) remain as a solid, known as
incinerator bottom ash (IBA) that always contains a
small amount of residual carbon.
 The direct combustion of a waste usually releases more
of the available energy compared to pyrolysis and
gasification.
 It leads to air pollution unless the plant is designed,
equipped and operated to comply with air pollution
standards.
 Typical air pollutants from incineration are fly ash, SO2
hydrogen chloride and organic acids.
 Thus, material which are not combustible are removed
from the waste by gravity or magnetic separation.
 Many of the separated material like glass or metals can
be recycled.
 Air pollution can be controlled by installation of proper
control equipment.
Incineration Process
 An incinerator with energy recovery comprises of
the following process:
Waste reception, sorting and preparation.
Combustion
Energy Recovery Plant
Emission Control
Waste reception, sorting and
preparation
 It requires 1pre-sorting of MSW material to remove
heavy and inert objects, such as metals, prior to
processing in the furnace.
 The waste is then mechanically processed to reduce the
particle size.
 Overall, the waste requires more preparation than if a
moving grate was used.
Combustion
 The combustion is normally a single stage process and
consists of a lined chamber with a granular bubbling bed
of materials such as coal, coarse sand/silica or similar
bed medium.
 The bed is ‘fluidized’ by air (which may be diluted with
recycled flue gas) being blown vertically through the
material at a high flow rate.
 Wastes are mobilized by the action of this fluidized bed
of particles.
Schematic Representation (for
information only)
Combustion
 In its most basic form, fuel particles are suspended in
a hot, bubbling fluidity bed of ash & other particulate
materials (sand, limestone etc.) through which jets of air
are blown to provide the oxygen required for
combustion or gasification.
 The resultant fast & intimate mixing of gas & solids
promotes rapid heat transfer & chemical reactions within
the bed. FBC plants are capable of burning a variety of
low-grade solid fuels, including most types of coal and
woody biomass, at high efficiency and without the
necessity for expensive fuel preparation (e.g.,
pulverising).
Energy Recovery
 The standard approach for the recovery of energy from
the incineration of MSW is to utilize the combustion
heat through a boiler to generate steam.
 Up to 80% of the total available energy in the waste can
be retrieved in the boiler to produce steam. The steam
can be used for the generation of power via a steam
turbine and/or used for heating.
 Heat can be recovered by putting a waste heat boiler or
some other recovery device on an existing solid waste
incinerator. The heat so recovered can be utilized for
generating electricity or for space heating purpose.
Emission Control
 The combustion process must be correctly controlled
and the flue gases must be cleaned prior to their
released.
 Generally, ammonia is injected into the hot flue gases for
control of NOx emissions. Lime or sodium bicarbonate
is injected to control SO2 and HCl.
 And finally, a filter bed consisting of adsorbents like
activated carbon, fly ash and other solids (lime or
bicarbonate) is used to control the release of heavy
metals, CO, VOCs and dioxins.
Composting
 Composting is the Biological Reclamation () of Waste
Materials by Natural Decomposition Process.
Examples: decay of fallen leaves in forests, decay of
wood in a stand and animal carcasses decaying in a
preserve.
 These natural processes in nature return organic material
to the ecosystem.
 It is an Aerobic, Biological Process which uses
naturally occurring microorganisms to convert
biodegradable organic matter into a humus-like
product.
 The process destroys pathogens, converts N from
unstable ammonia to stable organic forms, reduces the
volume of waste and improves the nature of the waste.
 It is an aerobic method of decomposing solid waste.
The organisms include bacteria, which predominate at all
stages, fungi, which often appear after the first week, and
actinomycetes, which assist during the final stages.
Process of Composting
 Compost results in a physical breakdown of organic
matter layered with small amounts of soil by a process
known as Aerobic Disintegration.
 Structure of the matter is broken down by bacteria and
fungi of decay until it is part of the soil mass. For
example, a piece of newspaper would, under ideal
conditions, become a part of the humus in the soil
within two to four weeks.
 During composting, heat is generated because of
interaction of organic material interaction with moisture,
air, bacteria and fungi.
 Composting bacteria requires Four equally important
ingredients:
Carbon : For energy; the microbial oxidation of carbon
produces heat; if included at suggested levels.
Nitrogen : To grow and reproduce more organisms to
oxidize the carbon.
Oxygen : For oxidizing the carbon, the decomposition
process.
Water : In the right amounts to maintain activity
without causing anaerobic conditions.
Phases of Composting
 Composting occurs in3 phases.
 During the first phase, the initial 24-48 hours,
temperatures gradually rise to 40-50 °C.
During this time, sugars and other easily
biodegradable substances are metabolized mostly by
bacteria and fungi
 During the second phase, which may occur over
extended periods of time, temperatures between 40 and 65
°C prevails.
 Cellulose and other more difficult substances to
biodegrade are destroyed at that time. Lignins, the darker,
woody components in plant tissues, break down even
more slowly.
 During this high temperature phase, plant pathogens,
weed seeds & bio control agents are killed by the heat.
Turning compost piles ensures uniformly high
temperatures and helps produce a homogeneous
product.
 The third stage is the curing phase when the
concentrations of materials that readily decompose
decrease.
 The rates of decomposition, heat output and
temperature decline during this phase.
 Amicro-flora, similar to that found in soil, now
colonizes the compost. Mature compost has a dark
colour, consists largely of lignins, humus and
biomass and has a distinctive soil or "earthy" odour.
This odour is attributed to the soil micro flora present in
the compost