Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Research Articles

Sustainable recycling model for municipal solid waste in Patna

Sustainable development is a major concern for developing nations as they strive to preserve their ecological balance along with economic growth. It has been noticed that economic growth results in environmental degradation as it influences lifestyle practices and leads to increased consumption of goods thus generating the large volume of municipal solid waste. Patna, the capital city of Bihar, is an ideal example of this condition. Here, central and local government and pollution committees fail to effectively tackle the large and increasing volume of municipal solid waste. Such scenario of municipal solid waste management in the city can cause serious health hazards, environmental degradation, and ecological destruction. Recycling the inorganic fraction of municipal solid waste can reduce the threat. In the present study, based on an extensive literature review propose a theoretical sustainable recycling model for Patna. This model is based on the similitudes in the recommendations required to attain ‘sustainable development’ and ‘sustainable recycling’. Sustainable recycling model has six gears drive by various variables. Each gear has been tested for its existence in Patna. As a result, ‘social aspect gear drive by three variables in sustainable recycling model is public health; public awareness; health of workers involves in recycling’ shows complete non-existence behaviour. Hence, a survey ( n = 127) has been performed to evaluate the success factors for social aspect gear existence in sustainable recycling model. Multivariate statistical analysis has been executed the comparison of respondents’ perception on success factors and success factor groups affecting sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste in Patna. The study contends that if the proposed model has been successfully applied, then the problem of municipal solid waste can be effectively addressed.

Municipal solid waste characterization and household waste behaviors in a megacity in the northwest of Iran

Improper solid waste management poses adverse health effects and pollution challenges in both developed and developing countries. The present study is aimed to evaluate the fate of municipal solid waste (MSW) and household waste behaviors in Tabriz megacity. A questionnaire survey was performed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of residents toward MSW reduction, source separation, recycling and collection. The results indicated that food wastes make up the highest portion of MSW, and high moisture content of waste leads to low heating value which is below than average heating value for applicability of incineration. Potentially recyclable wastes such as paper and cardboard, plastics, metals, textiles, glass, wood and others make up a total of 33% of the household solid wastes. Investigation of the fate of MSW revealed that about 55.5% of generated waste ends up in landfill sites, 20.5% is separated by itinerant buyers and separation facility just before landfilling, and 24% is converted into compost. The evaluation of resident’s behaviors toward MSW demonstrated the low knowledge of respondents and their high willingness to segregate solid wastes.

Decentralized bi-level decision planning model for municipal solid waste recycling and management with cost reliability under uncertain environment

This study presents bi-level decision making model for the management of municipal solid wastes (MSW). The model starts with waste disposals by the people, followed by its collection and distribution to the respective waste treatment facilities (WTF) and disposal centre. The loop continued to the transportation of untreated waste from treatment facilities to disposal centres and finally the transportation of products from treatment facilities to different markets. Minimizing the net transportation cost and maximizing the revenues generated from treatment facilities are considered as objective functions of first and second level respectively. Assuming the uncertainty in transportation, concept of cost reliability in the transportation cost is incorporated. Decisions are made successively from the first level to the second level. Decision variables are partitioned between the two levels and are called as controlling factors. Linear membership functions for fuzzily described objective functions and controlling factors are constructed to obtain the final solutions. Fuzzy Goal Programming is then applied to obtain the final solutions. Finally, we provide a numerical illustration to illustrate and justify the proposed model. The model could be extended by including the transportation mechanism of the used and rejected products from the customers forming a closed loop network of solid waste management.

Enhancing municipal solid waste recycling through reorganizing waste pickers: A case study in Nanjing, China.

Waste pickers (WPs) play an indispensable role by helping to control municipal solid waste (MSW). However, they constitute the entry-level workforce of the waste recycling industry and receive little attention from the general public. In China, approximately 4 million WPs make their living by collecting MSW recyclable materials. To assess the role of WPs, an extensive social survey including urban management decision-makers, recycling industrial circle insiders, WPs, as well as common citizen respondents has been conducted in the city of Nanjing, China. The results confirmed that 70-80% of recyclable MSW materials were collected by WPs in the informal sector, which are an integral component of the waste recycling system. In Nanjing, the recyclable material collected annually by WPs is about 505,000 tons, which creates annual economic value of about 78.6-84.7 million USD. However, WPs account for only 6.8-7.3% of the entire industrial chain of the recycling economy. In Nanjing, WPs are able to save an annual MSW disposal cost of about 17.6-22.0 million USD. The resource recovery rate is also increased by 1.9-8.0%. The survey results support the experience of establishing a community-based semi-official picker organizational framework, accompanied by relevant laws, regulations, and preferential policies that would improve the resource recovery rate and pickers' living and working conditions in order to achieve more effective and hazard-free MSW resource utilization. It is anticipated that the results of this research will be instrumental for the improvement of the MSW recycling system and WP management in other cities in China and other developing countries.

Business Models for Social Innovation of Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Companies: Comparison of Two Business Cases in Thailand and Taiwan

The significant increase of municipal solid wastes (e.g., food disposals, biomedical wastes, recyclable materials, etc.) is a very important environmental issue around the world. Waste recycling, reduction, and reuse are not only methods to solve environmental problems, but also directions for social innovation for business to create potential social value. This study investigates the business models of two waste recycling companies in Thailand and Taiwan. First, the basic micro and macro environmental factors were analyzed, including the period of firm’s business operations, location of the firm, space for separating and storing recyclable waste and various types of recyclable waste purchasing affecting the firms’ performance in these two economies. Second, different recyclable waste materials, volumes and price strategies between the case companies were compared. Third, this study also investigates the impacts of factors regarding resource characteristics, a firm’s capabilities and an entrepreneur’s abilities to improve a firm’s performance all compose a critical business model. The results showed that there were an increasing number of owners of waste recycling businesses developing and adapting to new business models. Detailed comparisons are reported and discussed in the article to shed light on managerial and policy implications.

Effect of potassium hydroxide activation in the desulfurization process of activated carbon prepared by sewage sludge and corn straw

ABSTRACTSeries sludge straw–based activated carbons were prepared by sewage sludge and corn straw with potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation, and the desulfurization performance of activated carbons was studied. To obtain the best desulfurization performance, the optimum ratio between the raw materials and the activator was investigated. The results showed that when the mass ratio of sewage sludge, corn straw, and KOH was 3:7:2, the activated carbon obtained the best breakthrough and saturation sulfur sorption capacities, which were 12.38 and 5.74 times, respectively, those of samples prepared by the nonactivated raw materials. The appropriate KOH could improve the microporosity and alkaline groups, meanwhile reducing the lactone groups, which were all beneficial to desulfurization performance. The chemical adsorption process of desulfurization can be simplified to four main steps, and the main desulfurization products are elemental sulfur and sulfate.Implications: Sewage sludge (SS) and corn straw (CS) both have great production and wide distribution and are readily available in China. Much attention has been paid on how to deal with them effectively. Based on the environment protection idea of waste treatment with waste and resource recycling, low-cost adsorbents were prepared by these processes. The proposed method can be expanded to the municipal solid waste recycling programs and renewable energy plan. Thus, proceeding with the study of preparing activated carbon by SS and straw as a carbon-based dry desulfurization agent could obtain huge social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Same material different recycling standards: comparing the municipal solid waste standards of the European Union, South Korea and the USA

Extant comparative research in municipal solid waste (MSW) management has conducted analyses across multiple countries and regions in an attempt to identify successful MSW management practices and increase MSW recycling. Furthermore, international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) have published annual reports discussing the status quo of MSW management and recycling practices in their member countries. As the characterisation of waste and recyclables varies across nations, comparability problems can occur. Nonetheless, extant research has not yet conducted a national-level comparison of MSW characterisation and calculation methods across multiple countries. The current study attempts to fill this gap by investigating the variations in MSW definitions and calculation standards in the European Union (EU), South Korea and the USA The findings indicate that recycling performance fluctuates significantly depending on which standard is adopted. South Korea is found to use the most conservative standards, yet its recycling rate is the highest regardless of which standard is applied. Future directions and implications for both research and practice are discussed.

A multi-objective robust optimization model for site-selection and capacity allocation of municipal solid waste facilities: A case study in Tehran

This paper introduces a multi-objective robust optimization model for a municipal solid waste (MSW) management system consisting of customers, transfer stations, landfills, recycle plants, and waste transport vehicles. The proposed model addresses the economic, environmental, and social perspectives of this system simultaneously by minimizing the total cost, the greenhouse gas emission, and the resulting visual pollution, respectively. This model can aid decision makers to locate the optimal sites of MSW recycling and disposal facilities, optimize the capacity allocation of landfills to transfer stations and population centers, optimize the capacity allocation of transfers stations and recycle plants to population centers, determine the most suitable technology for each operation, and find the right number and type of transport vehicles based on aforementioned objectives. Comparing to prior studies, considering all three dimensions of sustainability (i.e. economic, environmental and social) simultaneously, attempting to locate all three major MSW processing and disposal facilities (namely, transfer stations, recycling plants, and landfills) at the same time, and Considering uncertainties involved in this group of facility location problems are the innovations of this study. The proposed model, which is also fully compatible with the waste segregation at source approach, was validated by the use of real data for long-term planning of Tehran's MSW management system by examining five candidate sites for the construction of new facilities. The results show the efficiency of proposed model.

Identifying municipal solid waste management opportunities in Al-Bayda City, Libya

In Libya, municipal solid waste management is one of the services provided by the authorities to keep the county clean. This study was conducted in the City of Al-Bayda, located in the eastern part of Libya, as there have been several major problems facing the city in dealing with solid waste management. One of these problems is the generation, collection, handling, transportation, recycling, and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study has identified that the ongoing disposal of MSW to poorly engineered “dump sites” on the outskirts of the city is unsustainable and will not meet the demands of the growing population and increasing urbanization currently experienced within Al-Bayda. Factors impacting the decision-making and operational processes of MSW include lack of resources and services that significantly affect the disposal of waste, an inadequate number of waste collection containers making the distance to these containers for many households excessive, and thus leading to an increasing likelihood of dumping solid waste in open areas and roadsides. The study recommends that the city government of Al-Bayda should identify synergies and increase partnership-working arrangements with the private sector to ensure efficient management of MSW within the city area.

Prognostication of energy use and environmental impacts for recycle system of municipal solid waste management

The aim of this study is to perform a life cycle and energy flow assessments of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). These latter are modeled using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for integrated waste management system in Tehran Municipality, Iran. The initial data used in this study have been obtained from Waste Management Organization of Tehran Municipality, while the required data related to the background system were extracted from the EcoInvent 2.2 database. Based on the obtained results from the energy cycle analysis, energy consumptions for transportation and processing plus recycling were calculated as 227.02 and 155.95 Gigajoules (GJ), respectively for 8500 t MSW. This energy consumption has led to the production of 18,884.03 GJ energy output (recycled materials) with an energy ratio of 121.56. A high energy ratio demonstrated that recycling of municipal solid is a new gateway against energy challenges. By optimizing energy consumption, especially energy related to transportation, this ratio could increase more than before. The results obtained from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) indicate that transportation is considered the most important hot spot in the recycling of MSW while recycling papers is the main contributor to the redaction of environmental indicators in the recycling system. More intensity is observed for indicators related to toxicity due to the lack of waste disposal and to the entry of undesirable substances in natural resources. The 5-7-7-11 structure is the best topology to predict the amount of recycled materials and the impacts of environmental emissions from MSW recycling process developed by feed-forward back-propagation ANN models which are based on Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) training algorithm. Coefficient of determination values for train are in the ranges of 0.926–0.978 and have excellent performance in predicting all the output parameters based on the input parameters.

A multi-objective model for sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste.

The efficient management of municipal solid waste is a major problem for large and populated cities. In many countries, the majority of municipal solid waste is landfilled or dumped owing to an inefficient waste management system. Therefore, an optimal and sustainable waste management strategy is needed. This study introduces a recycling and disposal network for sustainable utilisation of municipal solid waste. In order to optimise the network, we develop a multi-objective mixed integer linear programming model in which the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability are concurrently balanced. The model is able to: select the best combination of waste treatment facilities; specify the type, location and capacity of waste treatment facilities; determine the allocation of waste to facilities; consider the transportation of waste and distribution of processed products; maximise the profit of the system; minimise the environmental footprint; maximise the social impacts of the system; and eventually generate an optimal and sustainable configuration for municipal solid waste management. The proposed methodology could be applied to any region around the world. Here, the city of Tehran, Iran, is presented as a real case study to show the applicability of the methodology.

Drivers to Sustainable Plastic Solid Waste Recycling: A Review

Waste recycling is a livelihood for the marginalized society in the developing economies and it is not surprising to find recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) been carried out. Plastic waste is a waste type in MSW yet a number of challenges still exist in managing this waste type. A literature review was conducted to identify the key drivers to sustainable development of post-consumer packaging plastic waste recycling systems in developed and developing economies. A number of articles focusing on drivers or factors influencing sustainable management and recycling of solid waste and municipal solid waste were reviewed. Further analysis of the results indicated a number of drivers from the economic, environmental and social aspect as drivers to sustainable development of recycling systems for post-consumer packaging plastic solid waste.

Incorporation of Environmental Law Requirements during Waste Management at Rubbish Recycling Plants in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Objectives: The research is aimed at improving the system of municipal solid waste handling; improving the efficiency, reliability, environmental and social acceptability of the complex of services on collection, transportation, recycling, processing and disposal of municipal solid waste; modernizing MSW sector based on advanced technologies and management practices, as well as taking measures to strictly comply with the Kazakhstan environmental law requirements. Methods: Such scientific methods as research, analysis, synthesis and substantiation were used to study this environmental problem based on the works of both domestic and foreign scholars. Findings: The authors carried out systemic legal and environmental-economic analysis of waste processing technologies and equipment enabling to assess the negative impact on the environment, as well as to study the requirements of environmental law during waste management at the rubbish recycling plants in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It has been proposed to apply life cycle assessment (LCA) in designing and selecting the best waste management option and provide support of rubbish recycling companies from the republican budget resources. Application/Improvements: Implementation of the research will improve the quality of services rendered in MSW management, increase the amount of collected and recycled secondary material resources, allow taking full advantage of the MSW energy potential and minimizing the negative environmental impact as a result of MSW treatment. Thus, it will contribute to a significant improvement in the quality and conditions of life of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Updating and testing of a Finnish method for mixed municipal solid waste composition studies

More efficient recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) is an essential precondition for turning Europe into a circular economy. Thus, the recycling of MSW must increase significantly in several member states, including Finland. This has increased the interest in the composition of mixed MSW. Due to increased information needs, a method for mixed MSW composition studies was introduced in Finland in order to improve the national comparability of composition study results. The aim of this study was to further develop the method so that it corresponds to the information needed about the composition of mixed MSW and still works in practice.A survey and two mixed MSW composition studies were carried out in the study. According to the responses of the survey, the intensification of recycling, the landfill ban on organic waste and the producer responsibility for packaging waste have particularly influenced the need for information about the composition of mixed MSW. The share of biowaste in mixed MSW interested the respondents most. Additionally, biowaste proved to be the largest waste fraction in mixed MSW in the composition studies. It constituted over 40% of mixed MSW in both composition studies. For these reasons, the classification system of the method was updated by further defining the classifications of biowaste. The classifications of paper as well as paperboard and cardboard were also updated. The updated classification system provides more information on the share of avoidable food waste and waste materials suitable for recycling in mixed MSW. The updated method and the information gained from the composition studies are important in ensuring that the method will be adopted by municipal waste management companies and thus used widely in Finland.

A Long-Term Challenge – Enabling the Uptake of Advanced MBT Technologies in Eastern European Countries

This study considers the case of Czech Republic (CR), as a relatively new EU member state, looking at opportunities and challenges enabling this country to make the step-wise transition from the current dependence on fossil fuels (for energy production), incineration (for a fast way to deal with waste), and landfilling (as a cheap option for disposal) to one which reflects current concerns about climate change and moves towards a more circular resource saving economy. Part of the facilitation towards improvements in structures and processes in CR is to consider innovative developments especially in the area of treatment and recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) based on mechanical biological treatment (MBT) technologies, as well as lessons learnt from other more advanced EU countries in waste management structures. An appropriate response to the climate change concerns has been the revised targets in reducing landfilling and increasing renewable energy sources towards a more sustainable energy use and waste management. In spite of the fact that the EU has issued key pieces of waste management and renewable energy Directives, compliance with diversion targets away from landfilling and renewable energy quotas are still considered too ambitious and far out of the reach of many Eastern European countries. This research holistically focuses on the MARSS 1 technology and its potential application and stakeholder acceptance in CR. MARSS is one-of-a-kind proven technology to remove and stabilise the biogenic fraction of MSW, to prevent landfilling and yield a refined biomass fuel for combined heat and power (CHP) production. Results from this study indicate that the MARSS technology has a higher potential in helping CR’s obligations to reduce the landfilling of organic material reduce CO2 emissions so complying with Annual Emission Agreements (AEA), as well as with adopted EU legislation in waste management, renewable energy and the circular economy. Based on the interviews carried out with key stakeholder groups, there are some positive indications that MBT plus MARSS could be an option, but it needs more time for development and implementation of new national legislation and an improvement in the markets to encourage confidence in the investment communities.

Maturity and Stability Evaluation of Composted Municipal Solid Wastes

Background: Composting process is a feasible biological treatment for the recycling of municipal solid wastes as a soil amendment. The principal requirement of compost for it to be safely used in soil is a high degree of stability or maturity, which implies stable organic matter content as well as the absence of phytotoxic compounds and plant or animal pathogens. Objectives: At the present study, the maturity and stability of composted municipal solid wastes at a biocompost plant was evaluated. Materials and Methods: For the assessment of compost maturity, important parameters including temperature, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, microbial parameters including Salmonella, total and fecal coliforms were measured during the composting process (80 days). In addition, phytotoxicity as seed germination index and heavy metals concentration (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd and Pb) was determined at the end of the composting time. Results: The results showed that the C/N ratio decreased during the composting process (reached to 15.6) due to the loss of carbon and the increase in nitrogen content per unit material; also, the NH 4 + /NO 3 ratio decreased with increase in the time of composting and reached to 1.08. In addition, the microbial parameters including Salmonella and total and fecal coliforms decreased significantly at the end of the composting period and reached to standard values. Furthermore, germination index (GI) increased during the composting process and the compost samples at the end of the composting phase had GI values greater than 90. Conclusions: The produced compost in this study was mature and ready for use as an agricultural substrate or soil conditioner after 80 days of composting.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT IN SINOP, TURKEY

This paper presents municipal solid waste (MSW) responsibility and management structure in Sinop, Turkey together with the current situation of collection, recycling, transport and disposal of MSW. In order to examine the MSW management, a longterm study was conducted between 1994 and 2010. In this study, physical composition of MSW was determined. Proximate analysis (moisture content, density and calorific value) and ultimate analysis (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and ash) of the MSW were also done. Based on the survey results, an integrated MSW management plan is proposed and presented. In Sinop, a mean of 175 tons of MSW are generated each day or 1.71 kg/day/capita. Approximately 50% of the MSW generated were collected, and the mean density of these is 162 kg/m3. MSW in Sinop has high moisture content and low calorific value, making aerobic composting the best treatment strategy. Composting can help to divert more than 60% of the total waste and will lead to enormous savings in cost of waste collection, transport and disposal. The remaining waste can be disposed off in a sanitary landfill.

Municipal solid waste management in a new legislation: comprehensive approach

The problem of the municipal solid waste (MSW) formation and recycling has been very important for many decades in the Russian Federation. The sustainable development of the Russian Federation subjects and municipalities, their evolution to the status of “smart cities” is not possible without solving this problem. The current situation in the area of SHW treatment leads to the dangerous environmental pollution, improper use of the natural resources, and the significant economic damage and poses a threat to the health of the present and future generations of the country. The authors examine the issues of implementation of the changes in the field of municipal solid waste management legislation. The problems of the comprehensive waste management are also discussed on the example of the Sverdlovsk region (Sverdlovskaya Oblast).

基于生命周期方法的生活垃圾资源化利用系统生态效率分析

基于生命周期方法的生活垃圾资源化利用系统生态效率分析

Research challenges in municipal solid waste logistics management

During the last two decades, EU legislation has put increasing pressure on member countries to achieve specified recycling targets for municipal household waste. These targets can be obtained in various ways choosing collection methods, separation methods, decentral or central logistic systems, etc. This paper compares municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices in various EU countries to identify the characteristics and key issues from a waste management and reverse logistics point of view. Further, we investigate literature on modelling municipal solid waste logistics in general. Comparing issues addressed in literature with the identified issues in practice result in a research agenda for modelling municipal solid waste logistics in Europe. We conclude that waste recycling is a multi-disciplinary problem that needs to be considered at different decision levels simultaneously. A holistic view and taking into account the characteristics of different waste types are necessary when modelling a reverse supply chain for MSW recycling.