SOLID WASTE PHYSICAL

TREATMENT

SEPARATION
SHREDDING
COMPACTION
WASTE
PREPARATION
TECHNIQUE
WASTE SEPARATION TECHNIQUE
 WASTE SEPARATION

MECHANICAL MANUAL
WASTE SHREDDING AND COMPACTION
 WASTE COMPACTION
Objectives:
Controls short-term density of waste, which resulting in
placement efficiency of wastes in the landfills
Maximizing waste density, in order to reduce landfill space
requirements or to prolong the life of a facility
Reducing the need for new landfill construction

Benefits:
a. Discourages Scavengers Keeps scavengers out of your container
b. Saves Labor No need to break up boxes or carry trash outside to a
container
c. Reduces Collection Costs Reduces the cost of transporting refuse to
the disposal site. A compactor eliminates 3 out of 4 trips.
d. Reduces Insect/Rodent Problems No need to call exterminator
e. Prevents Windblown Trash No need to sweep parking lots, chase
debris
 WASTE COMPACTION (Contd)

Benefits:
f. Reduce Fire hazard Saves on insurance costs
g. Controls Odor A sealed compaction system reduces odor
h. Saves Inside Store Space No need to use valuable storeroom
space for refuse
i. Saves Outside Parking Space Fewer containers outside means
more customer parking spaces
j. Extends Pavement Life Reduces wear and tear on parking
surfaces by heavy collection vehicles
k. Stops Pilferage A steel security chute keeps employees from
taking merchandise out the back door
l. Prevents Unauthorized Access to Waste A sealed container
keeps others from viewing confidential data in trash
m. Avoids Unauthorized Disposal Prevents others from using your
container for disposal of their trash or hazardous waste
 WASTE COMPACTION (Contd)
Types of refuse (Example):
WET - Food waste, produce and meat waste.
DRY - Paper, corrugated boxes
BULKY - Wooden crates, pallets, drums, white goods
(appliances metal cabinets), and furniture.
NONCOMPACTABLE - Stacked newspaper, bundled computer
paper, phone books.

Types of refuse determines:

a. Type of compactor which best suited to compact and contain the
refuse
b. Payload or total tonnage in a compaction container

Refuse with a high moisture content (produce, food waste) will

weigh more than drier waste (paper, boxes).
Example:
A full 30 cubic meter compaction container from a produce market might
weigh 6,800 to 9,000 kg, whereas the same size container with only
compacted corrugated cardboard boxes might weigh 3,600 to 4,500 kg
 TYPES OF COMPACTOR
TYPES OF COMPACTOR TYPE OF WASTE APPLICATION

Horizontal Stationary Dry i.e., mixed paper, Retail and Department

Compactor corrugated, wood, stores, industrial,
plastic, etc. warehouse

Self-Contained Compactor Wet - garbage, food Supermarket

processing, and (produce/meat waste),
medical restaurant, mall, hospital

Frontload/Rearload Primarily wet, garbage, Fast food, nursing home,

Compactor food waste small grocery store
Horizontal Stationary Self-Contained
Compactor Compactor

Frontload/Rearload Compactor
 COMPACTION RATIO

Several factors determines compaction ratio :

Type of refuse
Total force of compactor ram
Type of compaction container

Average compaction ratio for COMPACTABLE MIXED

WASTE is 4:1
Compaction ratio for INDUSTRIAL WASTE (pallets and
heavy boxes) is 2: 1
 SOLID WASTE
THERMOCHEMICAL
TREATMENT
PYROLYSIS
GASIFICATION
INCINERATION
 WASTE THERMAL ENERGY
PROCESS
Consideration Factors:
Time
Temperature
Turbulence
System Components:
Refuse receipt/storage
Refuse feeding
Grate system
Air supply
Furnace
Boiler
 MASS BALANCE

Energy Loss (Radiation)

Flue Gas
Waste

Mass Loss (unburned

C in Ash)
 COMBUSTION
TYPES
Pyrolysis
Gasification
Incineration (energy recovery through complete oxidation)
a. Mass Burn
b. Refuse Derived Fuel
TYPICAL REACTION CONDITIONS & PRODUCTS FROM
PYROLYSIS, GASIFICATION, & INCINERATION

Ref: VDI (2002). "Thermal waste treatment: state if the art - a summary" The future of waste
management in Europe 2002, Strasbourg
 PYROLYSIS
What is Pyrolysis ?
Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of a
substance in the absence or limited of
oxygen

It requires an external heat source to maintain the

temperature required (typically between 300 C to 850
C for Municipal Solid Waste)

Prior pyrolysis, solid waste typically require some

mechanical and separation of glass, metals, and inert
material

The process prefer consistent feedstock

Pyrolysis products consist of solid material

(residues) and synthetic gas (syngas)
Solid residue (char)
is a combination of non-combustible materials and
carbon

Synthetic Gas (Syngas)

Is a mixture of gases (combustible constituents
include carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane and
a broad range of other VOCs).
A proportion of syngas can be condensed to
produce oils, waxes and tars.
Net calorific value (NCV) of Syngas between 10
and 20 MJ/Nm3

If required, the condensable fraction of syngas (pyrolysis oil) can be

collected by cooling the syngas. It is potentially for use as a liquid fuel,
chemical, adhesive, and other product
SYNGAS COMPOSITION FROM PYROLYTIC
CONVERSION OF SOLID WASTE
PYROLYSIS (Contd)

PYROLYZER

PYROLYSIS OIL
SCHEMATIC PUROX PYROLYSIS SYSTEM

Temperatures
reached near
the bottom of
the reactor are
sufficiently high
to melt and fuse
the inorganic
components of
the introduced
wastes.

The molten
residue drains
into a quench
tank
 GASIFICATION
Gasification can be considered a process between pyrolysis and
combustion
It involves partial oxidation of a substance. This means
that oxygen is added but the amounts are not sufficient
to allow the fuel to be completely oxidised and full
combustion to occur. Partial oxidation process using air,
pure oxygen, oxygen enriched air, hydrogen, or steam
The temperatures employed on gasification are typically
above 650C

The process is largely exothermic but some heat may be

required to initialise and sustain the gasification process.

Prior gasification, solid waste typically require some mechanical

and separation of glass, metals, and inert material

More flexible than incineration, more technologically complex

than incineration or pyrolysis, more public acceptance
GASIFICATION (Contd)
The main product of gasification is SYNGAS (which contains carbon
monoxide, hidrogen, and methane). Net calorific value (NCV) of
Syngas is 4-10 MJ/Nm3. Gasification product can be used to produces
electricity, fuels (methane, hydrogen, ethanol, synthetic diesel), and
chemical products.
The other main product produced by
gasification is a solid residue of non-
combustible materials (ash) which contains a
relatively low level of carbon.
GASIFICATION (Contd)

Flexibility of Gasification
 INCINERATION
Key requirements of waste incineration

A minimum combustion temperature and residence time of the

resulting combustion products. For MSW, minimum temperature
required of 850C.
The lower calorific value (LCV) of waste must be at least 6 MJ/kg
throughout all season. The annual average LCV must not be less than 7
MJ/kg
The technology must be based on mass burn technology with a
movable grate. The chosen (or proposed) incinerator supplier must
have numerous reference plants in successful operation for a number
of years
The furnace must be designed for stable and coontinous operation and
complete burning out of the waste and flue gases (CO < 50 mg/Nm3,
TOC < 10 mg/Nm3)
The annual amount of waste for incinerator should be no less than
50.000 ton, and the weekly variations in the waste supply to the plant
should not exceed 20%
 THE MAIN TYPES OF WASTE FOR INCINERATION
The main types of waste to which incineration is applied as a treatment
are:
municipal wastes (residual wastes - not pretreated)
pretreated municipal wastes (e.g. selected fractions or RDF)
non-hazardous industrial wastes and packaging
hazardous wastes
sewage sludges

DIRECT IMPACT / ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES RELATED WASTE

INCINERATION

overall process emissions to air and water (including odour)

overall process residue production
process noise and vibration
energy consumption and production
raw material (reagent) consumption
fugitive emissions mainly from waste storage
reduction of the storage/handling/processing risks of hazardous wastes.
 TYPES OF INCINERATOR

Grate Technology
Rotary Klin
Fluidized Bed
 Moving Grate
v
Technology

Advantages Disadvantages
The technology is widely used and Capital and maintenance cost are relatively
thoroughly tested for waste incineration and high
meets the demands for technical
performance
It can accomodate large variation in waste
composition and calorific value
No need for sorting or shreeding
Allows for an overall thermal efficiency of
up to 85%
Each furnace can be built with a capacity of
up to 1.200 ton/day (50 ton/hour)
 ROTARY KLIN INCINERATOR
The mass burning incinerator based on a rotary kiln
consists of a layered burning of the waste in a
rotating cylinder. The material is transported
through the furnace by the rotations of the inclined
cylinder. The rotary kiln is usually refractory lined
but can also be equipped with water walls. The
cylinder may be 1 to 5 meters in diameter and 8 to
20 meters long.

Advantages Disadvantages
No need for sorting or shreeding A less common technology for
waste incineration
Allows for an overall thermal Capital and maintenance cost are
efficiency of up to 80% relatively high
Able to accomodate large variation Each furnace can be built with a
in waste composition and calorific capacity of up to 480 ton/day (20
value ton/hour)
 FLUIDIZED BED INCINERATOR

Advantages Disadvantages
Relatively low capital and maintenance Not a common or thoroughly tested
costs due to a simple design concept technology for waste incineration
Allows for an overall thermal efficiency Relatively strict demand to size and
of up to 90% composition of the waste, which
usually requires thorough pretreatment
Suitable for a wide range of fuel and
mixture of fuel and can handle liquid or
solid waste either in combination or
separately
 FLUIDIZED BED INCINERATOR
Fluidized bed incineration is based on a principle whereby solid particles
mixed with the fuel are fluidized by air. The reactor (scrubber) usually
consists of a vertical refractory lined steel vessel containing a bed of
granular material such as silica sand, limestone, or a ceramic material.

The fluidized bed has a number of appealing characteristics in relation to

combustion technique: reduction of dangerous substances in the
fluidized bed reactor itself, high thermal efficiency, flexibility regarding
multifuel input, and cost.

A main disadvantage of the fluidized bed for waste incineration is the

usually demanding process of pretreating the waste before the fluidized
bed so that it meets the rather stringent requirements for size, calorific
value, ash content, and so forth. Because of the heterogeneous
composition of MSW, it can be difficult to produce a fuel that meets the
requirements at any given point.
THERMAL TREATMENT
REACTOR
 Summary of the current successful application of
thermal treatment techniques to the main waste types
at dedicated installations

Ref: TWGComments (2003). "TWG Comments on Draft 1 of Waste Incineration BREF"

 The incineration of municipal waste involves the generation of climate-
relevant emissions.
The main emissions are CO2 (carbon dioxide) as well as N2O (nitrous
oxide), NOx ( oxides of nitrogen) NH3 (ammonia) and organic C, measured
as total carbon.
CH4 (methane) is not generated in waste incineration during normal
operation. It only arises in particular, exceptional, cases and to a small
extent (from waste remaining in the waste bunker), so that in quantitative
terms CH4 is not to be regarded as climate-relevant.
CO2 constitutes the chief climate-relevant emission of waste incineration
and is considerably higher, by not less than 102, than the other emissions

The incineration of 1 Mg (ton) of municipal waste in MSW incinerators is

associated with the production/release of about 0.7 to 1.2 Mg of carbon
dioxide (CO2 output).
The proportion of carbon of biogenic origin is usually in the range of 33
to 50%
 Incineration processes are capital-intensive. A skilled workforce is
required for operation and maintenance. High capital investment, high
operating and maintenance costs, and stringent air pollution control
regulations have severely limited the use of incineration for disposal.

Existing incinerator plants in East Asia/Pacific

Singapore operates three plants, all of the same design, incinerating
about 90% of the daily quantity of MSW collected. No sorting of wastes
is carried out before the MSW is fed to the incinerators (except that
bulky wastes are crushed). Total electrical energy recovered from the
plants is about 60 MW (250 to 300 kwh/tonne MSW incinerated), some of
which is used to run incinerator operations.
Bangkok installed conventional incineration plants at two of its landfill
sites mainly for the incineration of hazardous wastes collected; one was
shut down.
Tokyo, Japan has thirteen. Some MSW incineration facilities in Japan are
of two stages: pyrolysis, followed by thermal combustion. Some
Japanese cities have made their MSW incinerators the centre of
community complexes with indoor gardens, meeting halls, secondhand
shops, and offices of NGOs.
 China has one or two incinerators in cities like Shenzheng and
Leshan. The one in Shenzheng was purchased secondhand from
Hong Kong, when that city decided it could not be retrofitted to meet
air pollution standards, but it has proved too expensive for Shenzheng
to run.
Surabaya, Indonesia had an imported incinerator that can only operate
at two-thirds of its design capacity, because the wastes need to be
dried onsite for five days before they can be incinerated. Even without
air pollution control mechanisms, the cost of incinerating the waste in
this instance is roughly ten times greater than the cost of sanitary
landfilling in other Indonesian cities.

In cities of developing countries, open burning of refuse is common in landfill sites,

to reduce volume. This is especially done where the authority cannot afford
bulldozers to compact the deposits.
Often refuse is burned by households at sundown as a means of disposal and to
generate smoke to drive away mosquitoes in developing countries. This contributes
to air pollution in cities and towns, particularly as there is now much plastic in the
household wastes. Some authorities encourage this backyard burning as it reduces
the amount of MSW they have to collect.
 Modern MSW incineration plants operate quite well in cities
of industrialised countries, recovering energy in the form
of steam for heating and for electricity generation.
Incineration will remain popular in cities like Singapore,
Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tokyo, as there is a serious lack of
sites suitable for landfills. There is, however, controversy
about greenhouse and other gases released by
incineration.

In the developing countries, however, there have been

many problems with imported incinerators. Some are not
operated at a high enough temperature to destroy
pathogens, and contribute to air pollution due to lack of
environmental controls. The high moisture content and
low calorific content of MSW in these countries means
that at present incineration is not an efficient process for
waste disposal.
 INCINERATION ADVANTAGES

Volume and weight reduced (approx. 90% vol. and

75% wt reduction)
Waste reduction is immediate, no long term
residency required
Destruction in seconds where landfill requires 100s
of years
Incineration can be done at generation site
Air discharges can be controlled
Ash residue is usually non-putrescible, sterile, inert
Small disposal area required
Cost can be offset by heat recovery/ sale of energy
 INCINERATION DISADVANTAGES
High capital cost
Skilled operators are required (particularly for boiler operations)
Some materials are noncombustible
Some material require supplemental fuel
Air contaminant potential
Volume of gas from incineration is 10 x as great as other
thermochemical conversion processes, greater cost for gas
cleanup/pollution control
Public disapproval
Risk imposed rather than voluntary
Incineration will decrease property value
Distrust of government/industry ability to regulate
INCINERATION (contd)

CARBON AND ENERGY CONSIDERATION

Tonne of waste creates 3.5 MW of energy during
incineration (eq. to 300 kg of fuel oil) powers 70 homes
Biogenic portion of waste is considered CO2 neutral (tree
uses more CO2 during its lifecycle than released during
combustion)
Unlike biochemical conversion processes, non-biogenic
CO2 is generated
Should not displace recycling
According to US EPA, Modern Conventional MSW
thermal combustion facilities avoid GHG emission
in 3 (three) ways:

MSW thermal facilities produce electricity that can

offset electricity produced at conventional petroleum-
based power plants.
MSW thermal facilities recover ferrous and/or
nonferrous metals for recycling, which is more energy
efficient than mining virgin materials for metals.
MSW Thermal facilities remove material from the
landfill waste stream thus eliminating methane
emissions that would have occurred if this material
were landfilled
 Can GHGs and co-pollutants from existing
MSW thermal facilities be reduced?

Yes, however it may only achieve modest emission reduction. Some options
to reduce GHGs are to:
(1) Decrease the amount of non-biogenic waste (e.g. plastics) in the
material being combusted
(2) Improvements in front end pre-processing to recover more recyclables
(e.g., glass, plastics, cardboard) prior to combustion
(3) Upgrades to the incinerator, boiler, turbine, or generator that could
provide some modest improvements in the efficiency of the plant, and
associated electricity generated per ton of waste,
(4) Improvements in metals recovery equipment to increase the recovery of
metals from the waste ash, or
(5) Increases in the use of ash in products such as construction materials
where it could replace virgin materials that would be mined or
otherwise produced through processes that result in more GHG
emissions.