Biodrying of municipal solid waste under different ventilation periods

Abstract

Biodrying is a pre-treatment method that applies biological and mechanical concepts to drying solid waste. In Malaysia, municipal solid waste (MSW) is unseparated and contains a high level of moisture, making the use of technology such as solid waste burning unsuitable and harmful. MSW containing organic material can be processed naturally until the moisture content of the waste is reduced. This study on MSW biodrying was carried out on a laboratory scale to measure the percent moisture content reduction and to monitor temperature patterns under different ventilation periods. This work was conducted using five biodrying reactors volumes of 50 liters each. Reactors were ventilated for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min every 3 h, with a 3 bar air supply. The duration of this process was 14 days for all samples. The results showed that the optimum ventilation time was 10 min, with an 81.84% reduction in moisture content, and that it required almost half of the electricity cost required for the 20 and 30 min ventilations.