‘SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AT NITC

CAMPUS’

PROJECT REPORT FOR THE COURSE

Environmental Studies for Mechanical Engineers (ME3003)

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Technology In Mechanical Engineering By

GEORGE T MANI (Roll No: B110059ME, Semester: 5)
BIVIN G MATHEW (Roll No: B110100ME, Semester: 5)
GEORLY GEORGE DANIEL (Roll No: B110216ME, Semester: 5)
ATHUL JOHN VARGHESE (Roll No: B110225ME, Semester: 5)
ELVIN CYRIAC (Roll No: B110786ME, Semester: 5)

Department of Mechanical Engineering

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CALICUT

1
 Certificate of Approval

This is to certify that the work entitled “Solid Waste Management at NITC
Campus” submitted by Athul John Varghese (B110225ME) , Bivin G Mathew
(B110100ME), Georly George Daniel(B110216ME), George T Mani
(B110059ME) and Elvin Cyriac (B110786ME) has been carried out under my
supervision in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor
of Technology (B.Tech.) at National Institute Of Technology Calicut and this
work has not been submitted elsewhere for any other academic degree to the
best of my knowledge.

Sri. M A Joseph
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
National Institute of Technology
Calicut-673601, Kerala

Date :
Place : NIT Calicut

2
 CONTENTS

SL NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

1 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

2 ABSTRACT

3 INTRODUCTION

4 ANALYSIS OF WASTE GENERATION IN NITC

5 ANALYSIS OF HOSTEL WASTES

6 ANALYSIS OF WASTES FROM MESS

7 PROPOSED WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN

8 PRODUCTION PROCESS

PROPOSED MODEL FOR PRODUCTION

9 OF CONSUMABLE BIOGAS FROM MESS

WASTE

ANALYSIS OF UTILISATION OF FOOD

10
WASTES FROM MESS

11 HOSTEL WASTE DISPOSAL MODEL

12 CONCLUSION

13 BIBLIOGRAPHY

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to express our profound gratitude and indebtedness to Sri. M A Joseph,

Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering , National
Institute of Technology, Calicut, for introducing the present topic and for his
inspiring guidance , constructive criticism and valuable suggestions throughout
this work.

We would also express our gratitude to all the Faculty members of Mechanical
Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, for their
guidance and the support they have provided us.

Last but not least, our sincere thanks to all our friends & seniors who have
patiently extended all sorts of help for accomplishing this undertaking.

4
 ABSTRACT

The increase in the intake of students, constant change in consumption

pattern and social behaviour has increased the generation of solid waste in
National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) Campus. Though solid waste
management is a worldwide phenomenon, but the improper management of solid
waste (SW) causes hazards to the inhabitants. The problem of solid waste
management (SWM) is prevailing in the academic environment of NITC Campus
also. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the improved planning and
implementation of comprehensive SWM systems for upgrading the environmental
scenario of the Campus. It requires detailed information on the quantity and
character of SW generated and their physical and chemical properties.

This present study is to investigate the problems and prospects of solid

waste in the Campus. The investigation includes the methods of practices
associated with sources, quantity generated, collection, transportation, storage,
treatment and disposal of solid waste in NITC Campus. In this work, it is intended
to collect the data using questionnaire, field visit, and interaction with inhabitants.

This work will evolve appropriate solid waste management strategy based
on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle. This work will be a feasibility study
for a Solid Waste Management System for the Campus.

5
1.0. Introduction

NIT Calicut ranks one of the top colleges in India in providing technical
education for both under graduates and post graduate students. It is the top
engineering college in the state according to the government statistics. Today it
has around 6000 students and around 250 faculties. In spite of all these
advances in technical and educational fields it faces severe environmental
concerns which needs to be addressed immediately. The waste management
issues in the college was a hot topic in several local newspapers recently.
The sight of a dustbin overflowing and the stench rising from it are all too
familiar sights and smells of a crowded city. You look away from it and hold
your nose as you cross it. Even our campus is not an exception. Waste
management is seldom done properly in NIT Calicut campus. Lack of waste
bins, heap of wastes in front of E hostel, tiresome job of daily labourers in
college to keep the campus clean – all these are familiar sights in our campus
life. Have you ever thought that you also have a role to play in the creation of
this stench? That you can also play a role in the lessening of this smell and
making your campus look a little more attractive and lessen the work of daily
labourers in NITC if you follow proper methods of disposal of the wastes
generated? Since the beginning, humankind has been generating waste, be it the
bones and other parts of animals they slaughter for their food or the wood they
cut to make their carts. With the progress of civilization, the waste generated
became of a more complex nature. At the end of the 19th century the industrial
revolution saw the rise of the world of consumers. Not only did the air get more
and more polluted but the Earth itself became more polluted with the generation
of non-biodegradable solid waste. The increase in population and urbanization
was also largely responsible forth increase in solid waste. Solid waste is the
unwanted or useless solid materials generated from combined residential,

6
industrial and commercial activities in a given area. It may be categorized
according to its origin (domestic, industrial, commercial, construction or
institutional); according to its contents (organic material, glass, metal, plastic
paper etc.); or according to hazard potential (toxic, non-toxin, flammable,
radioactive, infectious etc.).Management of solid waste reduces or eliminates
adverse impacts on the environment and human health and supports economic
development and improved quality of life. A Number of processes are involved
in effectively managing solid wastes in a human society. These include
monitoring, collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal.
Through this project we intend to analyse the solid waste generation in
our college campus, the disposal techniques adopted and their effectiveness. We
also make an attempt to propose an alternate system for the proper waste
management without disturbing the environment.

2.0 Analysis of waste generation in NITC:

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,
managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to
materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken
to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste
management is a distinct practice from resource recovery which focuses on
delaying the rate of consumption of natural resources. All wastes materials,
whether they are solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive fall within the domain of
waste management. It is observed that in the college campus, there are no
proper waste management systems. There is no separation of degradable and
non-biodegradable materials like plastic .These materials are dumped together
in the open space. Plastic materials are being burnt in the open space without
using proper incineration techniques, which may cause various health and
ecological problems. We can see a lot of solid wastes dumped at different places
around the campus.
7
8
00

9
 Waste water from the hostels goes to an open pit near the canteen which
is a serious health and environmental concern in the college. The open drainage
system is the reason for a large number of mosquitoes in the college premises at
night . This issue was a hot topic in newspapers during recent times. Mosquito
repellent chemicals are used often but which are not so effective. The picture
below shows the mosquitoes breeding in logged water found in mega hostel
premises.

To analyse how each person contributes to the wastes generated in

the campus, we have conducted a survey in two hostels of NITC. In the survey
we came to know that plastic and non-plastic wastes make a large difference in
their quantity and we have come upon with the following tables.

Table 1: Daily waste generation from rooms in C and PG II hostels

Weight
(kg)

DAY Date C hostel PG 2 hostel

Plastic Non plastic Total Plastic Non plastic Total

1 3
Monday 08-10-2013 3 7 0 .5 7 10.5
0 0 4.
Tuesday 9-10-2013 1 6 7 .5 5 5
1 6
Wednesday 0-10-2013 2 4.5 .5 0 3 3
1 1 4.
Thursday 1-10-2013 1 4 5 .5 5 6
1 0
Friday 2-10-2013 0.5 4.5 5 .5 3 3.5
1 6
Saturday 3-10-2013 1.5 5 .5 1 5 6
1 1
Monday 5-10-2013 3.5 7.5 1 3 7 10
0 3.
Tuesday 9-10-2013 1 5 6 1 5 4.5
1 4 0
Wednesday 0-10-2013 0.5 4 .5 .5 5 5.5
1 6
Thursday 1-10-2013 2 4.5 .5 0 3 5
1 0
Friday 2-10-2013 0.5 4.5 5 .5 3 3.5

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 1 1
Saturday 3-10-2013 2 5 7 .5 5 6.5
1 1
Monday 5-10-2013 3 8 1 3 8 11
1
Tuesday 6-10-2013 2 5 7 1 5 6
1 3.
Wednesday 7-10-2013 1 5 6 1 5 4.5
1 4 0
Thursday 8-10-2013 0.5 4 .5 .5 5 5.5
1 1 4.
Friday 9-10-2013 1 4 5 .5 5 6
2 0
Saturday 0-10-2013 0.5 4.5 5 .5 3 3.5

Mean Daily 1 5.1 6 1 4.

Waste (kg) .47222 11111111 .5833 .16667 58333333 5.8611111
Standard 0 1.2 2 1 1.
deviation .96211 19396615 .074 .02899 51705985 2.3751505

C hostel PG2 hostel

P No Pl N
lastic n plastic Total astic on plastic Total

Estimated 4 15 3 1
waste in 4.1667 3.3333333 197.5 5 37.5 175.83333

September(kg)
1 175.8
Estimated waste amount for the month of September(kg) 97.5 3333
Semester waste 8 7
(kg) 36.083333 44.36111

On plotting the results on a graph, the results obtained are as follows.

Fig. 2 C Hostel waste composition

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10

8
C hostel Plastic
6
C hostel Non plastic

4 C hostel Total

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

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 Fig. 3 P G 2 Hostel waste composition
12

10

8
PG 2 hostel Plastic
6 PG 2 hostel Non plastic
PG 2 hostel Total
4

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

From the graphs plotted it became clear that non-plastic wastes contribute
most to the solid wastes in NITC and its proper disposal could make a
significant change in the waste management system.

From the studies, we found out that the non-plastic wastes mostly
originate from the hostel mess’. The food wastes in each mess in each day is a
large amount. On surveying, we came to know that these wastes are either given
to pig farms or gathered and burnt and thus polluting the environment. A survey
at the D hostel mess gave the following results.
Table 2: Details of Daily Food Waste in D Mess

D D
ate ay Noon Night
T Tot Tota
Bin Total( Bin 1 Bin 2 al(k l daily waste
1(kg) Bin 2 (kg) kg) (kg) (kg) g) (kg)
1
0-09- M 1 7 1
2013 onday 78 62 40 9 65 44 284
1
1-09- T 1 7 1
2013 uesday 79 63 42 7 62 39 281
1 W 1 7 1
2-09- ednesday 79 64 43 8 63 41 284

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2013
1
3-09- T 1 7 1
2013 hursday 77 68 45 9 69 48 293
1
4-09- F 1 7 1
2013 riday 76 78 54 5 58 33 287
1
5-09- S 7 7 7
2013 aturday 75 0 5 3 0 3 148
1
6-09- S 8 7 7
2013 unday 78 7 5 8 0 8 163
1
7-09- M 1 7 1
2013 onday 78 67 45 5 57 32 277
1
8-09- T 1 7 1
2013 uesday 71 56 27 6 56 32 259
1
9-09- W 1 7 1
2013 ednesday 76 54 30 0 47 17 247
2
0-09- T 1 6 1
2013 hursday 74 68 42 9 56 25 267
2
1-09- F 1 6 1
2013 riday 79 38 17 5 45 10 227
2
2-09- S 7 6 6
2013 aturday 72 2 4 5 0 5 139
2
3-09- S 9 7 7
2013 unday 78 15 3 6 0 6 169
2
4-09- M 1 7 1
2013 onday 74 62 36 3 57 30 266
2
5-09- T 1 7 1
2013 uesday 76 61 37 5 51 26 263
2
6-09- W 1 7 1
2013 ednesday 75 51 26 7 60 37 263
2
7-09- T 1 7 1
2013 hursday 77 69 46 6 67 43 289
2
8-09- F 1 7 1
2013 riday 72 34 06 4 32 06 212
1
0-10- W 1 7 1
2013 ednesday 70 65 35 6 58 34 269
1
1-10- T 1 7 1
2013 hursday 72 66 38 8 69 47 285
1
2-10- F 1 7 1
2013 riday 76 37 13 4 28 02 215
Average daily waste 244.8636364

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3.0 Proposed waste management plan: ‘BIOGAS PLANT’

3.1. Why Biogas?

From the above tables, it was found out that a large part of solid wastes in
NITC consists of abiotic wastes. Also the Average composition of kitchen waste
was analysed on various occasions. Over 50 % of waste was composed of
uncooked vegetable & fruit waste. Eggs, raw meat, the main source of pathogens
were relatively low in mass at 1.5% & 1.2% also about 15% of cooked meat was
there.
The proper disposal of NIT CALICUT’s Hostel and kitchen waste can be
done in an eco-friendly and a cost effective way. While calculating the cost
effectiveness of waste disposal we have to think more than monetary prospects.
The dumping of food in places and making the places unhygienic can be taken
good care of. It adds to the value of such Biogas plants. Using the natural
processes like micro-organisms, kitchen waste & biodegradable waste i.e., paper,
pulp can be utilized.

3.2 Biogas

Biogas is produced by bacteria through the bio-degradation of organic

material under anaerobic conditions. Natural generation of biogas is an important
part of bio-geochemical carbon cycle. It can be used both in rural and urban areas.
3.3 Characteristics of Biogas

Composition of biogas depends upon feed material. Biogas is about 20%

lighter than air has an ignition temperature in range of 650 to 750 degree Celsius,
an odourless & colourless gas that burns with blue flame similar to LPG gas. Its
caloric value is 20 Mega Joules (MJ)/m3 and it usually burns with 60 % efficiency
in a conventional biogas stove. This gas is useful as fuel to substitute firewood,
cow-dung, petrol, LPG, diesel, & electricity, depending on the nature of the task,
and local supply conditions and constraints. Biogas digester systems provides a
residue organic waste, after its AD that has superior nutrient qualities over normal
organic fertilizer, as it is in the form of ammonia and can be used as manure.

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Anaerobic biogas digesters also function as waste disposal systems, particularly
for human wastes, and can, therefore, prevent potential sources of environmental
contamination and the spread of pathogens and disease causing bacteria. Biogas
technology is particularly valuable in agricultural residual treatment of animal
excreta and kitchen refuse(residuals).

3.4 Properties of Biogas

 Change in volume as a function of temperature and pressure.
 Change in calorific value as function of temperature ,pressure and water
vapour content.
 Change in water vapour as a function of temperature and pressure.

3.5. Factors Affecting Yield and Production of Biogas

Many factors affecting the fermentation process of organic substances
under anaerobic condition are,

 The quantity and nature of organic matter

 The temperature
 Acidity and alkanity (PH value) of substrate
 The flow and dilution of material

3.6 Benefits of Biogas Technology

 Production of energy.
 Transformation of organic wastes to very high quality fertilizer.
 Improvement of hygienic conditions through reduction of pathogens.
 Environmental advantages through protection of soil, water, air etc.
 Micro-economic benefits by energy and fertilizer substitutes.
 Macro-economic benefits through decentralizes energy generation and
environmental protection.

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4.0 Production Process
A typical biogas system consists of the following components:
(1) Manure collection
(2) Anaerobic digester
(3) Effluent storage
(4) Gas handling
(5) Gas use.

Biogas is a renewable form of energy. Methanogens (methane producing

bacteria) are last link in a chain of microorganisms which degrade organic
material and returns product of decomposition to the environment.

4.1 Principles for Production of Biogas

Organic substances exist in wide variety from living beings to dead

organisms. Organic matters are composed of Carbon (C), combined with elements
such as Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), and Sulphur (S) to form variety
of organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins & lipids. In nature MOs
(microorganisms), through digestion process breaks the complex carbon into
smaller substances.

There are 2 types of digestion process:

 Aerobic digestion.
 Anaerobic digestion.

The digestion process occurring in presence of Oxygen is called Aerobic

digestion and produces mixtures of gases having carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the
main “green houses” responsible for global warming.

The digestion process occurring without (absence) oxygen is called

anaerobic digestion which generates mixtures of gases. The gas produced which is
mainly methane produces 5200-5800 KJ/m3 which when burned at normal room
temperature and presents a viable environmentally friendly energy source to

16
replace fossil fuels (non-renewable).

4.1.1 Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a controlled biological degradation process

which allows efficient capturing & utilization of biogas (approx. 60% methane and
40% carbon dioxide) for energy generation. Anaerobic digestion of food waste is
achievable but different types, composition of food waste results in varying
degrees of methane yields, and thus the effects of mixing various types of food
waste and their proportions should be determined on case by case basis.

AD is a promising method to treat the kitchen wastes. While AD for

treatment of animal dung is common in rural parts of developing countries,
information on technical and operational feasibilities of the treatment of organic
solid waste is limited in those parts. There are many factors affecting the design
and performance of anaerobic digestion. Some are related to feedstock
characteristics, design of reactors and operation conditions in real time. Physical
and chemical characteristics of the organic wastes are important for designing and
operating digesters, because they affect the biogas production and process stability
during AD. They include moisture content, volatile solids, nutrient contents,
particle size, & biodegradability. The biodegradability of a feed is indicated by
biogas production or methane yield and percentage of solids (total solids or total
volatile solids) that are destroyed in the anaerobic digestion. The biogas or
methane yield is measured by the amount of biogas or methane that can be
produced per unit of volatile solids contained in the feedstock after subjecting it to
anaerobic digestion for a sufficient amount of time under a given temperature
which is taken to be laboratory temperature in our case.

In recent times varied technological modifications and improvements have

been introduced to diminish the costs for the production of biogas. Different
methods have been developed to increase speed of fermentation for the bacteria
gas producers, reduction of the size of the reactors, the use of starchy, sugary
materials for their production, the modification of the feeding materials for
fermentation and the exit of the effluent for their better employment, as well as

17
compaction of the equipment to produce gas in small places like back-yard, among
others. Operating costs of larger facilities can be reduced, per unit; to the point
that, in the current economic framework, very large Anaerobic Digestion facilities
can be profitable whereas small ones are not this is what Economics of scale is. If
energy prices continue to rise and the demand for local waste treatment, and
fertilizers increases, this framework may change.

It is also referred to as bio-methanization, is a natural process that takes

place in absence of air (oxygen). It involves biochemical decomposition of
complex organic material by various biochemical processes with release of energy
rich biogas and production of nutritious effluents. The following processes take
place in the Bio-digester.

1. Hydrolysis
2. Acidification
3. Methanogenesis

HYDROLYSIS: In the first step the organic matter is enzymolysed

externally by extracellular enzymes, cellulose, amylase, protease & lipase, of
microorganisms. Bacteria decompose long chains of complex carbohydrates,
proteins, & lipids into small chains.
For example, Polysaccharides are converted into monosaccharide. Proteins
are split into peptides and amino acids.

ACIDIFICATION: Acid-producing bacteria, involved this step, convert the

intermediates of fermenting bacteria into acetic acid, hydrogen and carbon
dioxide. These bacteria are anaerobic and can grow under acidic conditions. To
produce acetic acid, they need oxygen and carbon. For this, they use dissolved O2
or bounded-oxygen. Hereby, the acid-producing bacteria creates anaerobic
condition which is essential for the methane producing microorganisms. Also,
they reduce the compounds with low molecular weights into alcohols, organic
acids, amino acids, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and traces of methane.
From a chemical point, this process is partially endergonic (i.e. only possible with

18
energy input), since bacteria alone are not capable of sustaining that type of
reaction.

METHANOGENESIS: (Methane formation) Methane-producing bacteria,

which were involved in the third step, decompose compounds having low
molecular weight. They utilize hydrogen, carbon dioxide and acetic acid to form
methane and carbon dioxide. Under natural conditions, CH4 producing
microorganisms occur to the extent that anaerobic conditions are provided, e.g.
under water (for example in marine sediments), and in marshes. They are basically
anaerobic and very sensitive to environmental changes, if any occurs. The
methanogenic bacteria belongs to the archaebacter genus, i.e. to a group of
bacteria with heterogeneous morphology and lot of common biochemical and
molecular-biological properties that distinguishes them from other bacterias. The
main difference lies in the makeup of the bacteria’s cell walls.

Symbiosis of bacteria:

Methane and acid-producing bacteria act in a symbiotical way. Acid

producing bacteria create an atmosphere with ideal parameters for methane
producing bacteria (anaerobic conditions, compounds with a low molecular
weight). On the other hand, methane-producing microorganisms use the
intermediates of the acid producing bacteria. Without consuming them, toxic
conditions for the acid-producing microorganisms would develop. In real time
fermentation processes the metabolic actions of various bacteria acts in a design.
No single bacteria is able to produce fermentation products alone as it requires
others too.

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4.2 FLOW CHART FOR BIODEGRADATION:

4.2. Proposed Model for Production of Consumable Biogas from Mess

Waste

ARTI Biogas Plant: A compact digester for producing biogas from food
waste

ARTI has developed a compact biogas plant which uses waste food rather
than dung/manure as feedstock, to supply biogas for cooking. The plant is
sufficiently compact to be used by urban households, and about 2000 are
currently in use – both in urban and rural households in Maharashtra. A few
have been installed in other parts of India and even elsewhere in the world. The

20
design and development of this simple, yet powerful technology for the people,
has won ARTI the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy 2006 in the Food
Security category. This makes ARTI the only organization in the world to win
the prestigious Ashden Award twice. ARTI won its first Ashden Award in 2002
for its chain of technologies for converting agricultural waste into charcoal, and
using this as a clean domestic fuel.

The impending scarcity of petroleum threatens the world’s fuel supply.

Mankind can face this threat successfully with the help of biogenous methane,
but the world is yet to take full advantage of this technology, because its
practitioners have so far ignore the basic tenet of science – viz. output of work
is dependent on the energy available for doing that work. This fact is seen in the
current practice of using low calorie inputs like cattle dung, distillery effluent,
municipal solid waste or sewerage, in biogas plants, which makes methane
generation highly inefficient. To rectify this skewed approach, in around
2003,Dr. Anand Karve (President of ARTI) developed a compact biogas
system that uses starchy or sugary feedstock (waste grain flour, spoilt grain,
overripe or misshapen fruit, nonedible seeds, fruits and rhizomes, green leaves,
kitchen waste, leftover food, etc.). Just 2 kg of such feedstock produces about
500 g of methane, and the reaction is completed with 24 hours. The
conventional biogas systems, using cattle dung, sewerage, etc. use about 40 kg
feedstock to produce the same quantity of methane, and require about 40 days to
complete the reaction. Thus, from the point of view of conversion of feedstock
into methane, the system developed by Dr. Anand Karve is 20 times as efficient
as the conventional system, and from the point of view of reaction time, it is 40
times as efficient. Thus, overall, the new system is 800 times as efficient as the
conventional biogas system.

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 4.2.1 Analysis of Utilisation of Mess Waste
As per the researches carried out by Dr. Anand Karve .1 kg of sugary
feedstock approximately generates 250g of biogas
4.2.1.1. Calculation for Bio-gas production
Average waste produced in a mess per day = 244.86 kg
Approximate sugary feed stock which can be produced
from the waste = 200kg

Equivalent amount of Bio-gas produced = 50kg

Calorific value of biogas = 20.2
MJ/kg
Total energy which can be produced with = 1010 MJ
the amount of waste in one mess

4.2.1.2. Calculation for LPG

Amount LPG in one cylinder =
19.2kg
Density of LPG = 2.489 kg/m3
Calorific value of LPG = 9724 kcal/kg
= 40.798 MJ/kg
Total energy which can be produced with = 782.97 MJ
One cylinder of LPG gas

So from the above analysis an equivalent of about 1.29 cylinder of LPG can be
produced from one mess in one day.

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4.3. Hostel Waste Disposal Model

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4.3.1. Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a biological process that happens naturally

when bacteria breaks down organic matter in environments with little or no
oxygen. It is effectively a controlled and enclosed version of the anaerobic
breakdown of organic waste in landfill which releases methane.
Almost any organic material can be processed with AD, including waste
paper and cardboard (which is of too low a grade to recycle, e.g. because of
food contamination), grass clippings, leftover food, industrial effluents, sewage
and animal waste.

4.3.2. Energy

AD produces a biogas made up of around 60 per cent methane and 40 per

cent carbon dioxide (CO2). This can be burnt to generate heat or electricity or
can be used as a vehicle fuel. If used to generate electricity the biogas needs to
be scrubbed. It can then power the AD process or be added to the national grid
and heat for homes.

4.3.3. Digestate

As well as biogas, AD produces a solid and liquid residue called

digestate which can be used as a soil conditioner to fertilise land. The
amount of biogas and the quality of digestates obtained will vary
according to the feedstock used. More gas will be produced if the
feedstock is putrescible, which means it is more liable to decompose.
Sewage and manure yield less biogas as the animal which produced it
has already taken out some of the energy content.

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5.0 CONCLUSION

The objective of the project was to analyse the effectiveness of the current
waste management systems in NITC and to put forward a new and effective one.

For this we focussed mainly on two areas:

a) Food waste generated in the D mess.
b) Waste generated from the rooms in C and PG2 hostel.

The method adopted was conducting a detailed study on the amount of

waste produced in campus (particularly in mess’) for a period of 3 weeks Also we
tabulated the amount of waste generated from the hostel rooms and weighed it
after segregating it into plastic and non-plastic . The average waste was calculated
from this sample assuming it to be a true reflection of the waste generation for the
entire semester. From the collected data, a feasibility study was conducted on
various waste disposal systems like the bio-digester and the anaerobic digester.
The best option selected for the various sites was decided.
For the mess it was observed that the suitable waste disposal system was
the bio-digester .This is due to the fact that it can process a large quantity of food
waste to give useful products such as biogas and slurry. But in case of hostel per
day is considerably low so an anaerobic digester is a suitable option. The
anaerobic digester was chosen since it required less maintenance and was more
suitable for a lesser quantity of waste and hence it is economically feasible in the
long run.
The data for mess waste was analysed by assuming that kitchen waste
consists of mainly sugary feedstock. But in reality there may be other substances
with low sugar content.

25
6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 www.wikipedia.com
 http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/gas-density-d_158.html
 http://www.arti-
india.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=45

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