Baltimore demonstrates gas pyrolysis : resource recovery from solid waste /

Mode of access: Internet.

San Diego County demonstrates pyrolysis of solid waste : to recover liquid fuel, metals, and glass /

Grant No. S-801588.

Wood waste disposal in Illinois / Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Office of Solid Waste and Renewable Resources.

"ILENR/RR-91/04."

Superfund Reform Act of 1994 : hearings before the Subcommittee on Superfund, Recycling, and Solid Waste Management of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, second session, on S. 1834, a bill to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, and for other purposes, February 10; March 2; and April 12, 1994-< >

Shipping list no.: 94-0216-P.

Evaluation of options for energy recovery from municipal solid waste in India using the hierarchical analytical network process

In this paper a Hierarchical Analytical Network Process (HANP) model is demonstrated for evaluating alternative technologies for generating electricity from MSW in India. The technological alternatives and evaluation criteria for the HANP study are characterised by reviewing the literature and consulting experts in the field of waste management. Technologies reviewed in the context of India include landfill, anaerobic digestion, incineration, pelletisation and gasification. To investigate the sensitivity of the result, we examine variations in expert opinions and carry out an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis for comparison. We find that anaerobic digestion is the preferred technology for generating electricity from MSW in India. Gasification is indicated as the preferred technology in an AHP model due to the exclusion of criteria dependencies and in an HANP analysis when placing a high priority on net output and retention time. We conclude that HANP successfully provides a structured framework for recommending which technologies to pursue in India, and the adoption of such tools is critical at a time when key investments in infrastructure are being made. Therefore the presented methodology is thought to have a wider potential for investors, policy makers, researchers and plant developers in India and elsewhere. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of a Planned Municipal Solid Waste Management System in Sri Lanka

Systematic Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) authorities of Sri Lanka contributes to exchange some productive outputs with localities; however it is still not in a successful mode due to limitations and environmental failures in their operation. Most of these local administrations are directly dumping Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to an open dumping site, this manner of inappropriate disposal of MSW is become a major threat to the environment and public health in developing countries like Sri Lanka. This study was conducted for the MSWM practices of Balangoda Urban Council. The research was performed based on analyzing information obtained from field observations; reports; literature; questionnaire distribution among community; and a series of formal interviews with major stakeholders. The ongoing MSWM practices of Balangoda Urban Council encompass six categories as waste minimization and handling; waste collection; on-site separation; waste transportation; further management including grading, composting, recycling, producing sludge fertilizer; and final disposal to an open dump site. Apart from those, training sessions on MSWM are also being conducted. The purpose of this paper is to assess current status of urban waste management scenario and highlight strengths and weaknesses to understand the sustainability of the system which would help any local authority to improve MSWM.

Characterization and application of the solid waste generated in the production of calcium carbonate precipitate as a corrective for the soil acidity

The calcium carbonate industry generates solid waste products which, because of their high alkaline content (CaO, CaCO(3) and Ca (OH)(2)), have a substantial impact on the environment. The objectives of this study are to characterize and classify the solid waste products, which are generated during the hydration process of the calcium carbonate industry, according to ABNT`s NBR 10.000 series, and to determine the potential and efficiency of using these solid residues to correct soil acidity. Initially, the studied residue was submitted to gross mass, leaching, solubility, pH. X-ray Diffractometry, Inductive Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), granularity and humidity analyses. The potential and efficiency of the residue for correcting soil acidity was determined by analysis of the quality attributes for soil correctives (PN, PRNT, Ca and Mg contents, granularity). Consequently, the results show that the studied residue may be used as a soil acidity corrective, considering that a typical corrective compound is recommended for each different type of soil. Additionally, the product must be further treated (dried and ground) to suit the specific requirements of the consumer market.

Sectors and routes in solid waste collection

Collecting and transporting solid waste is a constant problem for municipalities and populations in general. Waste management should take into account the preservation of the environment and the reduction of costs. The goal with this paper is to address a real-life solid waste problem. The case reveals some general and specific characteristics which are not rare, but are not widely addressed in the literature. Furthermore, new methods and models to deal with sectorization and routing are introduced, which can be extended to other applications. Sectorization and routing are tackled following a two-phase approach. In the first phase, a new method is described for sectorization based on electromagnetism and Coulomb’s Law. The second phase addresses the routing problems in each sector. The paper addresses not only territorial division, but also the frequency with which waste is collected, which is a critical issue in these types of applications. Special characteristics related to the number and type of deposition points were also a motivation for this work. A new model for a Mixed Capacitated Arc Routing Problem with Limited Multi-Landfills is proposed and tested in real instances. The computational results achieved confirm the effectiveness of the entire approach.

Current status of the waste-to-energy chain in the County of North Savo, Finland

The aim of this report is to describe the current status of the waste-to-energy chain in the province of Northern Savonia in Finland. This work is part of the Baltic Sea Region Programme project Remowe-Regional Mobilizing of Sustainable Waste-to-Energy Production (2009-2012). Partnering regions across Baltic Sea countries have parallelly investigated the current status, bottle-necks and needs for development in their regions. Information about the current status is crucial for the further work within the Remowe project, e.g. in investigating the possible future status in target regions. Ultimate result from the Northern Savonia point of view will be a regional model which utilizes all available information and facilitates decision-making concerning energy utilization of waste. The report contains information on among others: - waste management system (sources, amounts, infrastructure) - energy system (use, supply, infrastructure) - administrative structure and legislation - actors and stakeholders in the waste-to-energy field, including interest and development ideas The current status of the regions will be compared in a separate Remowe report, with the focus on finding best practices that could be transferred among the regions. In this report, the current status has been defined as 2006-2009. In 2009, the municipal waste amount per capita was 479 kg/inhabitant in Finland. Industrial waste amounted 3550 kg/inhabitant, respectively. The potential bioenergy from biodegradable waste amounts 1 MWh/inhabitant in Northern Savonia. This figure includes animal manure, crops that would be suitable for energy use, sludge from municipal sewage treatment plants and separately collected biowaste. A key strategy influencing also to Remowe work is the waste plan for Eastern Finland. Currently there operate two digestion plants in Northern Savonia: Lehtoniemi municipal sewage treatment sludge digestion plant of Kuopion Vesi and the farm-scale research biogas plant of Agrifood Research Finland in Maaninka. Moreover, landfill gas is collected to energy use from Heinälamminrinne waste management centre and Silmäsuo closed landfill site, both belonging to Jätekukko Oy. Currently there is no thermal utilization of waste in Northern Savonia region. However, Jätekukko Oy is pretreating mixed waste and delivering refuse derived fuel (RDF) to Southern Finland to combustion. There is a strong willingness among seven regional waste management companies in Eastern Finland to build a waste incineration plant to Riikinneva waste management centre near city of Varkaus. The plant would use circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler. This would been a clear boost in waste-to-energy utilization in Northern Savonia and in many surrounding regions.

Waste-to-Energy Scenarios in the China Context

Waste incineration plants are increasingly established in China. A low heating value and high moisture content, due to a large proportion of biowaste in the municipal solid waste (MSW), can be regarded as typical characteristics of Chinese MSW. Two incineration technologies have been mainly established in China: stoker grate and circular fluidized bed (CFB). Both of them are designed to incinerate mixed MSW. However, there have been difficulties to reach the sufficient temperature in the combustion process due to the low heating value of the MSW. That is contributed to the usage of an auxiliary fossil fuel, which is often used during the whole incineration process. The objective of this study was to design alternative Waste-to-energy (WTE) scenarios for existing WTE plants with the aim to improve the material and energy efficiency as well as the feasibility of the plants. Moreover, the aim of this thesis was to find the key factors that affect to the feasibility of the scenarios. Five different WTE plants were selected as study targets. The necessary data for calculation was gained from literature as well as received from the operators of the target WTE plants. The created scenarios were based on mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) technologies, in which the produced solid recovered fuel (SRF) was fed as an auxiliary fuel into a WTE plant replacing the fossil fuel. The mechanically separated biowaste was treated either in an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant, a biodrying plant, a thermal drying plant, or a combined AD plant + thermal drying plant. An interactive excel spreadsheet based computation tool was designed to estimate the viability of the scenarios in different WTE cases. The key figures of the improved material and energy efficiency, such as additional electricity generated and avoided waste for landfill, were got as results. Furthermore, economic indicators such as annual profits (or costs), payback period, and internal rate of return (IRR) were gained as results. The results show that the AD scenario was the most profitable in most of the cases. The current heating value of MSW and the tipping fee for the received MSW appeared as the most important factor in terms of feasibility.

Wastewater Treatment and Deinking Sludge Utilization Possibilities for Energy and Material Recovery in the Leningrad Region

Operation of pulp and paper mills generates waste including wastewater treatment sludge and deinking sludge. Both sludge types are generated in large amounts and are mainly disposed of in landfills in the Leningrad Region resulting in environmental degradation. The thesis was aimed at seeking new sustainable ways of sludge utilization. Two paper mills operating in the Leningrad Region and landfilling their sludge were identified: “SCA Hygiene Products Russia” and “Knauf”. The former generates 150 t/day of deinking sludge, the latter – 145 t/day of secondary sludge. Chemical analyses of deinking sludge were performed to assess applicability of sludge in construction materials production processes. Higher heating value on dry basis of both sludge types was determined to evaluate energy potential of sludge generated in the Leningrad Region. Total energy output from sludge incineration was calculated. Deinking sludge could be utilized in the production process of “LSR-Cement” or “Slantsy Cement Plant Cesla” factories, and “Pobeda” and “Nikolsky” brick mills without exceeding current sludge management costs.

Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Arppukara Grama Panchayat Of Kottayam District, Kerala (India)

The rising pressure of Population, together with the constantly changing technologies, and development perspectives, contribute to the ever increasing volumes of wastes in different forms. The solid and liquid wastes generated in the urban areas were considered a burden to the society, and hazardous to the environment. The fact is that the growth of consumerist culture and aimless throwing of refuse by the people created the outbreak of environmental pollution. Unhygienic environment and solid waste accumulation coincided with mosquito breeding which causes, the spread of most epidemics. The rationale behind most of the diseases is the unhygienic pattern followed by the people both in rural and urban areas. As an environmental package, the disposal of solid waste from different sources, such as house holds markets, commercial areas, slaughter houses, hospitals and industries, therefore assumed crucial importance. So as a part of the theory and practice, a study on the area, solid waste management of Arppukara Grama Panchayat of Kottayam district is taken into consideration. The study conducted here proposes, to examine the quality and quantity of the solid waste generated in the panchayat and also it's impact on the existing social, economical, environmental and ecological systems

Sustainable Solid Waste Management Solutions To Kochi City, India, Through The Environmental Management Tool Ecological Footprint Analysis

Solid waste management nowadays is an important environmental issue in country like India. Statistics show that there has been substantial increase in the solid waste generation especially in the urban areas. This trend can be ascribed to rapid population growth, changing lifestyles, food habits, and change in living standards, lack of financial resources, institutional weaknesses, improper choice of technology and public apathy towards municipal solid waste. Waste is directly related to the consumption of resources and dumping to the land. Ecological footprint analysis – an impact assessment environment management tool makes a relationship between two factors- the amount of land required to dispose per capita generated waste. Ecological footprint analysis is a quantitative tool that represents the ecological load imposed on the earth by humans in spatial terms. By quantifying the ecological footprint we can formulate strategies to reduce the footprint and there by having a sustainable living. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the tool Ecological Footprint Analysis with special emphasis to waste generation. The paper also discusses and analyses the waste footprint of Kochi city,India. An attempt is also made to suggest strategies to reduce the waste footprint thereby making the city sustainable, greener and cleaner

Distribution and availability of trace elements in municipal solid waste composts

Trace element contamination is one of the main problems linked to the quality of compost, especially when it is produced from urban wastes, which can lead to high levels of some potentially toxic elements such as Cu, Pb or Zn. In this work, the distribution and bioavailability of five elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr and Ni) were studied in five Spanish composts obtained from different feedstocks (municipal solid waste, garden trimmings, sewage sludge and mixed manure). The five composts showed high total concentrations of these elements, which in some cases limited their commercialization due to legal imperatives. First, a physical fractionation of the composts was performed, and the five elements were determined in each size fraction. Their availability was assessed by several methods of extraction (water, CaCl2–DTPA, the PBET extract, the TCLP extract, and sodium pyrophosphate), and their chemical distribution was assessed using the BCR sequential extraction procedure. The results showed that the finer fractions were enriched with the elements studied, and that Cu, Pb and Zn were the most potentially problematic ones, due to both their high total concentrations and availability. The partition into the BCR fractions was different for each element, but the differences between composts were scarce. Pb was evenly distributed among the four fractions defined in the BCR (soluble, oxidizable, reducible and residual); Cu was mainly found in the oxidizable fraction, linked to organic matter, and Zn was mainly associated to the reducible fraction (iron oxides), while Ni and Cr were mainly present almost exclusively in the residual fraction. It was not possible to establish a univocal relation between trace elements availability and their BCR fractionation. Given the differences existing for the availability and distribution of these elements, which not always were related to their total concentrations, we think that legal limits should consider availability, in order to achieve a more realistic assessment of the risks linked to compost use.