Unit-4

Waste Disposal Techniques

INTRODUCTION
Once the waste is collected from the different sectors of the
community the next problem to be addressed is regarding the safe,
economical and efficient disposal options Suitable decisions have to
be made in this regard so as to avoid open and illegal dumping of
wastes which are dangerous and threatening to the environment Many
open dumps attract vectors, contain materials that are dangerous to
human and other living beings, pose fire there contaminate surface
water and ground water supplies, and interrupt natural drainage
patterns Open burning of waste releases smoke containing pollutants
harmful to human health and environment Therefore, the community
has to face serious inconveniences due to illegal disposal practices.
The basis of good solid waste management is the safe disposal options
of municipal solid waste Methods commonly employed to dispose
municipal solid waste include composting, waste to-energy (such as
incineration and biogas production) and land filling Strictly speaking,
composting and incineration of solid waste are not final disposal
methods but are intermediate solid waste treatment or processing
methods, as they produce secondary waste such as non biodegradable
material rejects from composting and ash from incineration which
need to be disposed of further. The community has to weigh the
different disposal options depending on several different criteria such
as short-term start-up cost, long-term operational and maintenance
cost, minimizing the controversy over siting facilities, liability to the
members of the community and minimizing environmental nuisance
such as littering, odour, dust, noise, vermin and long-term benefits.
The common disposal techniques are

1. Composting

2. Waste to energy

3. Landfill

COMPOSTING

Decomposition and stabilization of the solid organic waste material

has been taking place in nature ever since life appeared on this planet
With the progress of civilization and advancement of scientific
knowledge efforts are being directed towards rationalizing and
controlling the process in such a way as to make it more effective and
efficient The processes that have evolved as a result are referred to as
composting final product is called compost Composting yields a
product which contains plant nutrients (NPK) as well as
micronutrients, which n be utilized for the growth of plants

Composting can be defined as the controlled biological

decomposition of organic solid materials under aerobic or anaerobic
conditions to form a humus-like material. It is important to view
compost feedstock as a usable product, not as waste requiring disposal
is such, when developing and promoting a composting programme
and when marketing the resulting compost programme planners and
managers should stress that the composting process an
environmentally sound and beneficial means of recycling organic
materials, not a means of waste disposal
Use of Compost

Compost is beneficial for crop production due to the following

reasons
1. Compost prepared from municipal solid waste contains 1% each of
NPK
2. During composting the plant nutrients are converted to such forms
which get released gradually over a longer period and do not get
leached away easily
3. It is known to contain trace elements such as Mn, Cu Bo, Mo which
are essential to the growth of plants.

Principles of the Composting Process

The organic material present in the municipal solid waste can be

converted to a stable form either aerobically or anaerobically During
aerobic decomposition, aerobic micro-organisms oxidize organic
compounds to CO, NO, and NO, Carbon from organic compounds s
used as a source of energy while nitrogen is recycled. Due to
exothermic reaction, the temperature of the mass rises.

A diagram of the composting process is given in Figure 9.1

Factors Affecting Composting Process

 Organisms: Aerobic composting is a dynamic system in which

bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and other biological forms are
actively involved
 Moisture: Moisture replaces air from the interspace between
particles Too low a moisture content reduces the metabolic
activity of organisms, whereas anaerobic conditions would set in
if the moisture content is too high. It has been shown that the
optimum moisture content for composting is in the range of 50-
60 per cent
 Temperature The optimum temperature ranges from 30 to 50°C
4. C/N ratio: An initial C/N of 30 would be most favourable tor
rapid composting

Composting Challenges

Despite the growing popularity of composting communities face

several significant challenges in developing and operating successful
composting programmes. These include the following

 Developing markets and new end uses.

 Inadequate or non-existing standards for finished composts and

inadequate design data for composting facilities

 Lack of experienced designers, vendors, and technical staff

available to many municipalities

 Potential problems with odours

 Inadequate financial planning.

 Vermi Composting

Composting using earthworms as the biological agent to

produce high quality compost is termed Vermi composting.
Vermi compost contains major and minor nutrients in plant-
available forms such as enzymes vitamins and plant growth
hormones. Vermi composting can be adopted for the large-scale
commercial production of compost as well as for household
composting

Segregated biodegradable waste is fed to the bed prepared in

alternate layers of waste and cow dung slurry Each layer may
have" thickness of 15 20 cm For the first 25 days, the heap has
to be kept moist by watering and mixed at random to distribute
the worms. It is advisable to cover the pits to prevent the top
layer from getting dried after 45 days; the manure shall be kept
heaped for a few days for maturity and then can be packed and
marketed:

WASTE-TO-ENERGY TECHNIQUES
A decision many communities face is determining whether a
waste-to energy (WTE) system might be a feasible component of their
integrated solid waste management programme. The amount of waste
combusted or expected to be handled by combustion/other similar
WTE for a particular city is very crucial in this context For some
communities, developing a WTE project can be a lengthy and
expensive process that requires making decisions which have term
consequences. It is necessary, therefore, to follow a step by step
process for evaluating the feasibility of constructing and operating
WTE facility. It is also crucial to acquire adequate information
understand the legal, technical, financial and regulatory issues that
must be addressed when considering a WTE system
Energy Market Options
WTE facility may generate steam, electricity, superheated water,
or combination of these The form of energy produced depends on the
energy buyer's needs. WTE facilities usually generate and sell the
wing marketable products:
1) Electricity: Electricity is the most common form of energy
produced and sold from WTE facilities constructed nowadays
By directing the WIE system steam through a turbine
generator electricity can be produced and sold
2) Steam: Steam is used widely in a variety of industrial
applications. It can be used to drive machinery such as
compressors, for space heating and generating electricity.
When assessing potential markets for steam, it is important to
consider a market's proximity to the WTE facility and the
quantity of steam produced
3) Co generation. In co-generation, high-pressure steam is used
first to generate electricity, the steam leaving the turbine is
then used to serve the steam users Co-generation provides for
greater overall energy efficiency, even though the output of
the major energy product, whether electricity or steam, may
be less than that could be generated by producing one type of
energy alone Co-generation allows flexibility, so that
seasonal variation in steam demand can be offset by increase
in electricity production
4) Refuse-derived fuel (RDF): Another form of energy that can
be produced and sold is refuse-derived fuel (RDF). RDF is
the product of processing the municipal solid waste to
separate the non-combustible from the combustible portion
and preparing the combustible portion into a form that can be
effectively fired in an existing or new boiler. RDF can be
transported to other locations for use in boilers
The Process and Technologies
A number of demonstrated technology approaches are available
for WTE projects today the predominant ones are: (i) Incinerator
anaerobic processing/biogas production, (iii) Refuse-derived fuel a
(iv) Pyrolysis.
Incineration
Incineration can be defined as a controlled combustion process
for burning solid, liquid and gaseous combustible wastes to gases and
residue continuing non combustible material. During combustion
moisture is vaporized whereas the combustible portion is vaporized
and oxidized Carbon dioxide, water vapour, ash and non-
combustibles are the end-products. In other words incineration can be
called a combustion process which is a chemical reaction In this
process, carbon rogen and other elements in the waste combine with
oxygen in the combustion air, which generates heat Calorific value,
ash and moisture content, in addition to other parameters, would
indicate whether the waste can sustain combustion on its own without
the addition of Auxiliary fuels.
One of the important properties of a fuel on which its efficiency is
judged is its calorific value. The calorific value of a fuel is defined as
the amount of heat obtainable by the complete combustion of a unit
mass of the fuel. The unit of heat is generally expressed in kilocalorie
(kcal), That equal to the amount of heat required to raise the
temperature of 1 kg of water through 1°C (more precisely from 15°C
to 16 C).
Pyrolysis and controlled air/incineration
1. Pyrolysis: It is the destructive distillation of a solid carbonaceous,
material in the presence of heat and in the absence of stoichiometric
oxygen. It is an exothermic reaction i.e heat must be applied for the
reaction to occur. A gas is produced containing methane, carbon
monoxide (Co) and moisture.
Pyrolysis is a thermal pre-treatment method, which can be applied in
order to transform organic waste to a mediun calorific gas, liquid and
a char fraction aimed at separating or binding chemical compounds in
order to reduce emissions and Teaching to the environment Pyrolysis
can be a self-standing treatment, but is mostly followed by a
combustion step and in some cases, extraction of pyrolytic oil
(liquefaction).
2. Gasification: It is a thermal treatment method, which can be applied
to transform organic waste to a low calorific gas recyclable products
and residues. Gasification is normally followed by combustion of the
produced gases in a furnace and in internal combustion engines or in
single gas turbines after comprehensive cleaning of the product gas.
Pyrolysis and gasification represent refined thermal treatment
methods as alternative to incineration. The methods are characterized
by the transformation of the waste into product gas as energy carrier
for later combustion in, for
example, a boiler or gas engine Flue gas volumes are reduced in
comparison to incineration, so that the demand for voluminous due
gas cleaning equipment is reduced The purpose of pyrolysis and
gasification of waste is to minimize emissions and to maximize the
gain and quality of recyclable products, as well as to minimize the
amount of organic waste and sterilize the hazardous components.
Surplus heat is generated and can be recovered as heat hot water!
Steam) or electric power or combinations of these with a high power-
to-heat ratio. The processes produce residual products, Powell as
products from cleaning of the gases, which have to be deposited at
controlled landfill mine Waste water is also normally produced and
treated before it is discharged to the sewage system or evaporated in
cooling towers. Nutrients and organic matter are not recovered.
The following are the advantages of pyrolysis:
 Better reduction of heavy metals in the char than in ash from
combustion (at 600°C process temperature, the retention is as
follows: 100% chromium, 95% copper, 92% lead, 89% zinc,
87% nickel and 70% cadmium)
 Low leaching of heavy metals from deposition of the solid
fraction chromium and reduced to 20% for cadmium and nickel.
 Production of gas with a LCV (low calorific value) which can
be combusted in a compact combustion chamber with short
retention time and very low emissions
 CO2 neutral energy production substituting combustion of fossil
fuels
 Less quantity of flue gas than from conventional incineration
 Hydrochloric acid can be retained in or distilled from the solid
residue
 No formation of dioxins and furans.
 The process is well suited to difficult waste fractions 9.
Production of sterile clinker and other residues.
The following are the disadvantages of pyrolysis:
1. Waste must be shredded or sorted before entering the Pyrolysis unit
to prevent blockage of the feed and transport systems.
2. Pyrolytic oils/tars contain toxic and carcinogenic compound which
normally will be decomposed through the process.
LANDFILL TECHNIQUE
Landfills are designed separately for the disposal of different types of
wastes for hazardous waste, designated waste (non-hazardous waste
that may release constituents in concentration that are in excess of
applicable water quality standards established by Central and State
government such as combustion ash, asbestos and other similar
wastes), and municipal solid waste Municipal solid waste landfills
provide for the environmentally sound disposal of waste that cannot
be reduced recycled, composted, combusted or processed in any other
manner Landfill is needed for disposing of the residues from the
disposal techniques mentioned above. But the government has set
minimum national standards applicable to municipal solid waste
landfills, the regulations which have be implemented by the state and
local self governments
Landfills are designed, controlled and managed disposal sites for
municipal solid waste, spreading in layers, compacted to the smallest
practical volume and covered by material (soil) applied to prevent
animal and vector attacks
A properly designed municipal solid waste landfill includes provision
for leachate management (leachate is waste water that collects
contaminants as it trickles through municipal solid waste disposal
landfill) and the possible collection of landfill gas and its potential use
as an energy source
Design and Operating Procedure of Land fill
The three critical features which greatly influence the development
and management of a good solid waste landfill are: (1) lack of
financial and human resources, (ii) lack of easily available land, and
(t) a fragile system. It is worth mentioning here that modern landfills
differ matly from simple land disposal. The design and operating
procedures today's municipal solid waste landfills have scientifically
evolved over the past ten to twenty years. Therefore, the design
improvements have reduced environmental impacts and improved the
efficient use of resources In municipal solid waste landfilling three
methods are used for Landfill design: (1) the Excavated cell/trench
method (which is suited to areas where an adequate depth of cover
material is available at the sitewhere the water table is not near the
surface). (2) Area method (which is used when the terrain is suitable
for the excavation of cell trenches due to high ground water condition
in which to place the solid waste is difficult), and (3)
canyon/depression method where canyons/ ravines/dry burrow
pits/quarries are used for landfills)
In a completed landfill, the waste is enclosed by cover material at the
top and by a liner system at the bottom. The key terms used in
municipal solid waste landfill design are the following
1. Waste management boundary. The waste management unit
boundary is the boundary around the area occupied by waste in a
landfill. It is measured square metres or in acres
2. Liners. The liner is a system of a lay/layers and/or geosynthetic
membranes used to collect leachate and reduce or prevent
contaminant flow of ground water.
3. Cover. A typical municipal solid waste landfill has two forms of
cover consisting of soil and geosynthetic materials a i) daily cover
placed over the waste at the close of each day's operations and (ii) a
final cover, or cap, which the material placed over the completed
landfill to control infiltration of water, gas mission to the atmosphere,
and erosion It also protects the waste from long-term contact with the
environment
4. Leachate: Leachate is a liquid that has passed through or emerged
from solid waste and contains soluble, suspended or miscible
materials removed from such waste. Leachate typically flows
downward in the landfill, but may also flow laterally and escape
through the side of the landfills
5.Leachate collection system Pipes are placed at the low areas of the
liner to collect leachate for storage and eventual treatment and
discharge Leachate flow over the liner to the pipes is facilitated by
placing a drainage blanket of soil or plastic netting over the liner. An
alternative to collection pipes is a special configuration of
geosynthetic materials that will hydraulically transmit leachate to
collection points for removal.
6. Landfill gas: Gas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of the
organic wastes. Landfill gas is a mixture of methane and carbon
dioxide, plus trace gas constituents
7. Gas control and recovery system: A series of vertical walls or
horizontal trenches containing permeable materials and perforated
piping is placed in the landfill to collect gas for treatment or
productive use as an energy source.
8. Gas monitoring probe system: Probes placed in the soil surrounding
the landfill above the ground water table to detect any gas migrating
from the landfill.
9. Ground water monitoring well system: Wells placed at an
appropriate location and depth for taking water samples that are
representatives of ground water quality