The effect of mechanical pretreatment of municipal solid waste on its potential in gas production

The impact of mechanical pre-treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) on its biogas production potential was examined. Mechanical separation allowed the following size-fractions to be obtained: fine fraction - mineral fraction of municipal solid waste (MFMSW) ( < 20 mm), middle fraction - organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) (20 mm < *< 80 mm), and coarse fraction (d> > 80 mm). The most suitable fraction for biological treatment was OFMSW, containing about 76 % of high rate biodegradable organic fraction (HRBOF). The rate constant of degradation for organic compounds in OFMSW was 0.23 d"1. It was shown that total gas production (TGP) during 10 years may achieve 550 m3/Mg OFMSW. Mechanical pre-treatment may allow an 45 % decrease of the amount of landfilled MSW resulting in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of up to 70 mJ/Mg over 10 years of landfilling (in contrast to MSW landfilling - 213 nf/Mg). The experimental results revealed that gas production potential should be determined on the basis of HRBOF content and measurements of the biogas production.