Integrated Concept for Municipal Solid waste Valorization: Pre-Pilot Experience

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is considered to be one of the critical issues in developing countries. To manage this waste in a sustainable way, it is necessary to develop integrated processes to find its multiple utilization pathways. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of MSW integrated with power generation and nutrient recovery could be a plausible solution to the wet waste handling problem in a densely populated country like Bangladesh. In this study, MSW sampled from a landfill of Dhaka city revealed the presence of high amount of organic waste (~ 74 w/w%). This facilitated the concept of waste valorization through nutrient recovery. The heating value of the MSW was found to be 14.7 MJ/kg (on dry basis) making it a suitable source for power generation. HTC experiments on the waste showed a retention of almost ~83% of the energy in biocoal. Based on these results, an integrated biorefinery having a capacity of processing all the MSW generated in Dhaka, can produce 45 MWe power with 3.2 ton/day of K and 0.9 ton/day of Ca as by-product. These results would be further evaluated in a pilot-scale demonstration in 2020.