Reducing Methane Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills by Using Mechanical, Biological Treatment (Case Study Wady Alhaddeh (MBT) Plant, in Tartous)

Abstract

In developing countries including Syria, the solid waste sector contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, mainly methane, due to the lack of methods of integrated management of solid waste in these countries. The objective of this research is to study the feasibility and effectiveness of mechanical, biological treatment of municipal solid waste in a way to reduce methane gas emissions compared to the indiscriminate dumping of municipal solid waste. To reach this goal, the formula contained in the guidelines of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is adopted for accounting the emissions of methane from the municipal solid waste sector in Tartous–Syria. The study is realized from 2010 until 2015 in the case of landfilling of municipal solid waste generated by the province in random landfills. To compare the account is an assumption that the same amount of municipal solid waste generated by the province during the years from 2010 to 2015 has been treated in accordance with the mechanical, biological treatment method. It also calculated the amount of methane emitted from municipal solid waste entering the integrated waste treatment center in the Province of Tartous within one year from the beginning of June 2014 until the end of May 2015, using mechanical, biological treatment method. This study concluded that the mechanical, biological treatment for municipal solid waste significantly reduces the amount of methane emissions from solid waste sector compared to the landfilling, where the percentage of reduction in the emission of methane is about 93%.