Organic Municipal Solid Waste Research Articles

Characteristics of rice husk biochar briquettes with municipal solid waste cassava, sweet potato and matooke peelings as binders

AbstractRice husks are not readily biodegradable making their disposal challenging due to the common disposal method of open burning which has negative environmental effects. Additionally, banana, sweet potato and cassava peelings form a large percentage of organic municipal solid waste. Therefore, this study developed rice husk biochar briquettes with organic municipal peelings waste as binders. Rice husks biochar was formed via carbonization processes in a step-down kiln at temperatures ranging between 400 and 500 °C. Organic binders were mixed with the rice husk biochar at different ratios of 10% and 15% before being compacted at a pressure ≤ 7 MPa into briquettes. Thermogravimetric results showed that the developed briquettes had high ash contents ranging from 44% to 47%. Rice husk biochar briquettes with the highest particle density were observed for briquettes with 15% cassava peel binder at 427.1 kg/m3. The highest HHV and maximum attainable flame temperature of 21.75 MJ/kg and 828.7 °C were obtained for rice husk biochar briquettes with 15% matooke peeling organic binder. For all rice husk biochar briquettes, increasing the organic peeling binder had a positive impact of reducing the ash content, while at the same time increasing the peak temperatures, thus contributing to their enhanced thermal stability.

Enhancing biomethanation performance through co-digestion of diverse organic wastes: a comprehensive study on substrate optimization, inoculum selection, and microbial community analysis.

A blend of organic municipal solid waste, slaughterhouse waste, fecal sludge, and landfill leachate was selected in different mixing ratios to formulate the best substrate mixture for biomethanation. Individual substrates were characterized, and the mixing ratio was optimized with the help of a response surface methodology tool to a value of 1:1:1:1 (with a C/N ratio of 28±0.769 and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration of 2500±10.53 mg/L) to improve the overall biomethanation. The optimized blend (C/N ratio: 28.6, VFA: 2538 mg/L) was characterized for physicochemical, biological, and microbial properties and subjected to anaerobic digestion in lab-scale reactors of 1000 mL capacity with and without the addition of inoculum. The biogas yield of individual substrates and blends was ascertained separately. The observed cumulative biogas yield over 21 days from the non-inoculated substrates varied between 142±1.95 mL (24.6±0.3 ml/gVS) and 1974.5±21.72 mL (270.4±3.1 ml/gVS). In comparison, the addition of external inoculation at a 5% rate (w/w) of the substrate uplifted the minimum and maximum cumulative gas yield values to 203±9.9 mL (35.0±1.6 mL/gVS) and 3394±13.4 mL (315.3±1.2 mL/gVS), respectively. The inoculum procured from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was screened in advance, considering factors such as maximizing VFA production and consumption rate, biogas yield, and digestate quality. A similar outcome regarding biogas yield and digestate quality was observed for the equivalent blend. The cumulative gas yield increased from 2673±14.5 mL (373.7±2.2 mL/gVS) to 4284±111.02 mL (391.47±20.02 mL/gVS) over 21 days post-application of a similar dosage of DRDO inoculum. The 16S rRNA genomic analysis revealed that the predominant bacterial population belonged to the phylum Firmicutes, with the majority falling within the orders Clostridiales and Lactobacillales. Ultimately, the study advocates the potential of the blend mentioned above for biomethanation and concomitant enrichment of both biogas yield and digestate quality.

Techno-economic and environmental analysis of organic municipal solid waste for energy production

Addressing the critical conundrum of escalating municipal solid waste (MSW) and shrinking landfill spaces in urban areas, this research pioneers a sustainable approach for Bangladesh by exploring the potential of biogas production from MSW. Distinctly, it fills the research gap by providing a detailed techno-economic and environmental analysis of decentralized fixed-dome anaerobic digestion facilities in the urban context of Chittagong, Bangladesh, a domain previously underexplored. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of converting MSW into a renewable energy source, offering an innovative solution that simultaneously tackles waste management and energy generation challenges. Each proposed plant showcases the capability to generate 536 m³ of biogas daily, sufficient to power a 50 kW gas engine and supply 44 households, thereby contributing significantly to urban waste reduction and CO2 emissions mitigation by approximately 500 tons monthly. The economic analysis reveals an attractive investment payback period of two years, underscoring the model's viability and its potential as a replicable framework for similar urban settings grappling with waste management crises. This study not only bridges a critical knowledge gap but also introduces a novel, sustainable waste-to-energy model, marking a pivotal step towards achieving energy security and environmental sustainability in developing nations.

Simultaneous achievement of energy recovery and carbon sequestration through municipal solid waste management: A review

Effective municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a crucial component for sustainable cities, as inefficient waste disposal contributes to the release of about a billion tons of CO2-eq in greenhouse gases (GHG) annually. With escalating global waste generation, there is an untapped opportunity to integrate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies into existing MSW management processes. This review explores current research on utilizing MSW for CDR, emphasizing its potential for both energy generation and carbon sequestration. The investigation covers three waste management practices: landfilling, waste-to-energy (WtE), and biochar production, revealing two paths for carbon sequestration. First, MSW serves as a feedstock in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), acting as a carbon-neutral resource that avoids fossil fuel and energy crop use, reducing GHG emissions and generating value through energy production. Second, direct storage of organic MSW and its derivatives, like biochar, in various carbon sinks allows for extended sequestration, offering a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of waste management and climate change mitigation. Moreover, this review advocates for an extended exploration into several subjects including in-depth analysis of waste, research on MSW-derived biochar recalcitrance across different carbon sinks, and understanding the symbiotic connections with GHG-emitting sectors like agriculture and energy. Finally, this review emphasizes the necessity of conducting life-cycle assessment studies to fully discern the benefits and assess the impacts of any future endeavors exploring the role of MSW in carbon sequestration.

Forecasting the Mitigation Potential of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Shenzhen through Municipal Solid Waste Treatment: A Combined Weight Forecasting Model

As a significant source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the municipal solid waste sector’s greenhouse gas emission mode remains unknown, hampering effective decision-making on possible greenhouse gas emission reductions. Rapid urbanization and economic growth have resulted in massive volumes of municipal solid trash. As a result, identifying emission reduction routes for municipal solid waste treatment is critical. In this research, we investigate the potential of municipal solid waste treatment methods in lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Shenzhen, a typical Chinese major city. The results showed that the combined treatment of 58% incineration, 2% landfill, and 40% anaerobic digestion (AD) had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of about 5.91 million tons under all scenarios. The implementation of waste sorting and anaerobic digestion treatment of organic municipal solid waste after separate collection can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by simply increasing the incineration ratio.

Biodrying of municipal solid waste-correlations between moisture content, organic content, and end of the biodrying process time.

Biodrying refers to the decomposition of organic municipal solid waste (MSW) under aerobic conditions. This process usually lasts 14days and requires large amounts of air to be injected into the waste matrix. The efficiency of the biodrying process depends on several geotechnical parameters, including initial moisture content, initial organic content, bulk density, dry density, solid particle density, and porosity. To examine the potential influence of these parameters on the biodrying process, we analyzed 13 biodried MSW samples. The results revealed a strong positive linear relationship between the initial moisture content and the mass loss percentage. In the first three days of the biodrying process, the waste mass rapidly decreased; afterwards, the daily mass loss occurred at a less rapid, more constant rate. The established average mass removal ratio between the volatile solids and water was 1:6.38 with a standard deviation of 1.06. Dry and solid particle densities were preserved in all 13 experiments; thus, the corresponding void ratio remained unchanged. This finding suggests that the settlement and degradation of MSW that occur during the biodrying process did not significantly influence the airflow rate.

Research progress and perspectives of biogas production from municipal organic solid waste

Abstract Anaerobic digestion is a prevailing technology for the treatment and utilization of municipal organic solid waste (MOSW). In this technology, the macromolecular organic matter in waste degrades into small molecular substances through the anaerobic decomposition of microorganisms, producing biogas that can provide enormous energy. This paper focuses on the research progress of anaerobic digestion of various organic wastes for biogas production. The principle and process of anaerobic digestion for biogas production are introduced, along with the key factors affecting anaerobic digestion efficiency, such as temperature, pH, and sealing conditions. At the same time, the current cycle treatment technology and comprehensive treatment system of MOSW are also summarized. Furthermore, the paper explores biogas purification technologies, including desulfurization, deoxidation, drying, and decarbonization. Finally, the state-of-the-art of the utilization of MOSW for biogas production in the world and the problems faced by the utilization of MOSW for biogas production in China are reviewed. By summarizing the anaerobic digestion technology of MOSW, this review hopes to provide some reasonable solutions for the high-value utilization of MOSW.

Carbon Neutral Fuels and Chemicals from Standalone Biomass Refineries

The urgency to eliminate man-made greenhouse gas emissions and achieve energy security/independence by all countries justifies an energy policy that considers the major role of renewable biomass as a source of organic feedstock for producing adequate organic chemicals and biofuels on a sustainable basis and economically. This paper investigates a three-stage thermochemical process to convert wet biomass into a tailored mix of syngas for producing green methanol, hydrogen, and Fischer-Tropsch products. The three-stage thermochemical process involves the torrefaction of wet biomass using hot carbon monoxide gas, pyrolysis of torrefied biomass to produce biochar, and final gasification of the pyrolysis gases by auto thermal reforming up to 1400o C temperature. The proposed process is suitable to utilize a wide variety of biomass materials such as freshly harvested biomass without field drying, agro waste, forest/plantation litter, organic municipal solid wastes, sludge from sewage water treatment plants, solid biomass rejects from anaerobic digesters, bagasse from sugar or first-generation ethanol plants, organic solid rejects from second-generation ethanol plants, waste glycerides from biodiesel plants, industrial organic waste, etc. The proposed process offers valorization of biomass so that the net income of farmers is enhanced a fewfold by selling freshly harvested biomass. The economic analysis found that carbon-neutral hydrogen, methanol, etc can be produced below the prevailing costs of such products derived from fossil crude oil or natural gas without considering carbon credits. It is feasible in a standalone biomass refinery to use any biomass as only one bulk raw material/feedstock without any harmful emissions to water bodies or the atmosphere except carbon neutral carbon dioxide gas if not sequestrated.

Valorization of organic municipal solid waste to enhanced solid biofuel: torrefaction kinetics, torrefied solid fuel performance, and fuel properties

ABSTRACT The kinetics of the torrefaction process have been studied in various reactors. However, no study reported the torrefaction kinetics of organic municipal solid waste (OMSW) in a helical screw rotation-induced (HSRI) fluidized bed reactor. This study produced torrefied solid fuel, and the kinetic parameters of the OMSW torrefaction process were determined. The results showed that increasing temperature and residence time from 200 to 300°C and 0 to 40 minutes increased mass loss, calorific value, ash content, fixed carbon, energy density, and carbon content. Conversely, mass yield, volatile matter, energy yields, oxygen-to-carbon, and hydrogen-to-carbon ratios decreased. The calorific value experienced notable growth, varying from 17.80 to 26.18 MJ/kg, with increased residence time and temperature. The one-step kinetic model using a first-order reaction accurately predicts reaction data for long residence times with a maximum error of 2.42% at 300°C and 10 minutes and is useful for designing and scaling up the HSRI fluidized bed reactor within the temperature and mass loss ranges of 220–300°C and 2.61–47.38%. The OMSW torrefaction frequency factor and activation energy were 0.2036 s−1 and 24.46 kJ/mol, respectively. The findings of this study showed that residence time has less effect on the torrefaction process than temperature.

A solar-assisted liquefied biomethane production by anaerobic digestion: Dynamic simulations for harbors

This work presents a dynamic simulation model for the production of liquefied biomethane by anaerobic digestion. This layout includes anaerobic digesters supplied by the organic municipal solid wastes, biogas upgrading and biomethane liquefaction units, photovoltaic panels, evacuated solar collectors, electric and thermal storages. Solar collectors provide the heat to anaerobic digesters. Photovoltaic panels supply electricity to the electric devices of the plant. The dynamic model evaluates the electric consumption for the biogas upgrading and biomethane liquefaction units and the thermal load of the anaerobic digesters. The produced liquified biomethane is supplied as fuel to some ships traveling from the mainland to the islands of the Gulf of Naples. The simulation models of the anaerobic digester, biogas upgrading and biomethane liquefaction units are developed in MATLAB® environment and subsequently integrated in TRNSYS18, where the whole plant is modelled. The model of anaerobic digester takes into account both the biological and thermal processes and it considers the digester geometrical and structural features. The biogas upgrading unit consists of a three-stages selective membrane system, whereas the liquefaction system is modelled by the conventional Linde cycle. Significant energy savings and CO2 emissions reduction are obtained, that is a strategic outcome for harbours located in densely populated cities. When the proposed system is compared with the reference system consisting of an existing fleet, equipped with very old ferries using internal combustion diesel engines, the primary energy saving is about 50 %. Considering the present Italian funding policy for biomethane, such system exhibits a good economic profitability.

Modeling, simulation and techno-economic evaluation of a micro-grid system based on steam gasification of organic municipal solid waste

The annual increase in population has led to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth over the years, becoming the lead cause of increased municipal solid waste (MSW) generation worldwide. In this study, MSW of 50 kg sampled by quartering method from Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi, Kenya is physically characterized and a sample of organic waste taken through proximate and ultimate analyses. Data obtained is used as input to a gasification model developed using advanced simulation and process engineering (Aspen) Plus software to provide characteristics of the yielded syngas. The obtained results are used to design a real gasification system and evaluate its techno-economic performance using HOMER® Pro as the tool for analysis. The techno-economic feasibility of the designed 60 kW gasification system is assessed considering a 165.59 kWh/day community-based load demand, with 11.5 % self-electricity consumption and 88.5 % grid feed. Results show organic and inorganic waste contents of 64.2 % and 35.8 %, respectively. The proximate and ultimate analyses reveal a high volatile matter content of 76.10 %, as well as fixed carbon content of 17.03 % in the biomass- rich-organic MSW. The simulated results show good agreement with experimental data and other simulation findings in literature. The study’s simulation output reveals 61.15 % H2, 1.42 % CH4, 24.12 % CO, 13.30 % CO2 contents following steam gasification at 700 °C. At 100 kg/h waste charge rate, a syngas yield of 2.39 m3/kg, gasification ratio of 2.2705 kg/kg and a lower heating value of 10,150 kJ/Nm3 (24.26 MJ/kg) are obtained. The sensitivity analysis results show increasing trend in CO2 and H2 syngas constituents from 0.4 to 1.0 steam-to-biomass ratio increase at 900 °C constant temperature: CO decrease is observed while CH4 values remain negligible and unaffected. The techno-economic findings reveal that the grid sales serve to offset the system’s annual costs by 39.34 %, obtaining a net present value (NPV) of $1.43 M, levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) of 0.155 $/kWh and 93.5 kg/yr. CO2 carbon footprint. An Organic MSW steam gasification micro grid is thus financially feasible in grid connected mode and is 99 % more carbon neutral compared to the Kenyan grid.

Assessing egg deposition behaviour of female black soldier fly (Hermetia: Illucens) in Kumasi, Ghana using MOSW as bait

The availability of the black soldier fly (BSF) at a location is of great importance if its larvae are to be used for commercial composting of municipal organic solid waste (MOSW). In this context, it is crucial to determine where the insects are readily available and how natural environmental conditions influence their oviposition. This study used MOSW as bait to determine locations where these insects are readily available and their egg cluster as an indication of their presence. Data were collected at four locations: Plantain farm, poultry farm, under a pear tree, and waste communal container site. For each site, data were collected in the morning (6:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.), afternoon (12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.), and evening (after 6:00 p.m.) to determine the peak egg-laying times of these insects. This was carried out for two seasons of the year – rainy season (June, July and August) and dry season (December, January, and February) to assess seasonal variability on oviposition and fecundity. Environmental conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity were also measured under which oviposition took place. The highest average number of BSF egg clusters of 17.5 ± 13.74 was harvested at the waste communal container site and the lowest average number of 2 ± 0.81 was harvested at the poultry farm. Peak egg laying times were recorded in the afternoon between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., where an average of 15.17 ± 4.7 clusters were harvested. Most BSF egg clusters were harvested during the rainy season, averaging 9.1 ± 12.2. The dry season recorded a higher average number of eggs per cluster at 454.18 ± 164.92. It is concluded that BSF larval composting technology can be commercialized in Kumasi, Ghana as the insects were readily available during the two main seasons in the country.

Utilization of Organic Waste in a Direct Carbon Fuel Cell for Sustainable Electricity Generation

There is much organic waste that comes from by-products of agriculture and product processing, solid waste from livestock, and municipal waste. Conventional methods that are widely used for the treatment and management of organic fractions of waste are landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion, incineration, gasification, and pyrolysis. Among the above methods, pyrolysis is a relatively simple, robust, and scalable technology for transforming diverse organic waste feedstock into renewable energy products. Recently, the electrochemical conversion of biochar into electricity in direct carbon fuel cells (DCFC) has also been investigated and shown to be feasible and highly efficient. This paper focuses on the utilization of organic waste as a fuel and the investigation of their characteristics during electrochemical reactions in molten hydroxide direct carbon fuel cells (MH-DCFCs). Organic waste of different origins (the food-processing industry, urban and suburban areas, municipal solid organic waste, sewage sludge) with diversified characteristics was used as the main feedstock. The lowest power density was determined for sewage sludge (5.1 mW cm−2), and the best results were obtained for peanut shells (53.14 mW cm−2). This study concludes that higher elemental carbon, lower ash content and the presence of reactive surface oxygen functional groups in biochar obtained from organic waste might contribute to better cell performance. Moreover, the research establishes the potential of carbonized organic waste as a prospective alternative fuel source for power generation in an MH-DCFC.

Techno-economic analysis of H2@Scale production from organic municipal solid waste

Environmental sustainability entails alleviating a multitude of challenges including the minimization of waste and associated carbon emissions. The emergence of Green Hydrogen (H2) utilization is considered a promising groundbreaking initiative for the transition toward a low-carbon economy. While the concept of energy recovery from waste is not novel, its practical implementation remains questionable at times. This study examines the technical and economic viability of scaled H2 production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, through an in-depth techno-economic and cost-benefit analysis. The results demonstrate that the H2 yield obtained exclusively from plastic waste exceeds that from mixed-feed waste by ∼ 24.5 %. Equally significant, the LCOH stands at ∼$4.96/kg-H2, inclusive of CO2 capture and storage charges, while decreasing to $4.10/kg-H2 when excluding such charges. The integration of previously overlooked key macro and micro-economic and financial parameters has facilitated a more nuanced and practical evaluation of the levelized cost of H2, allowing for a fair comparison with the current market cost of blue H2.These findings are of significance for investors and decision-makers operating within the realm of ecological sustainability and energy transition, while concurrently serving as an indispensable benchmark for the formulation of sensible waste management policies.

Agro-waste Mediated Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and their Antibacterial Properties: Waste to Treat

Background: Biogenic fabrication of metal oxide nanoparticles has been gaining interest over conventional methods. Biological methods make use of plant materials and microbial agents as reducing as well as capping agents. The present work reports the biosynthesis of ZnO NPs from agricultural wastes produced in every household. Objective: A significant portion of municipal solid organic waste (MSOW) consists of agricultural waste. Utilization of this agricultural waste towards cleaning water of pathogens through the synthesis of nanoparticles has far-reaching implications, such as curbing soil pollution and water pollution. Method: Preliminary confirmation was done by the visual formation of a pale yellow/dirty white precipitate of ZnO NPs. These were further characterized by different spectroscopic techniques, such as FT-IR, SEM, EDAX, and HRTEM. Results: The HRTEM study revealed that NPs obtained had sizes between 30-52 nm. Fabricated ZnO NPs were analyzed for their antibacterial activity by disk diffusion method, and they exhibited striking antibacterial activity against E. coli and bacillus subtilis. Conclusion: Exploring the potential of waste and its conversion into a value-added product is a novel step. ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized from agricultural wastes through an environmentally friendly synthetic route, and the synthesized ZnO NPs were found to be potent in inhibiting the growth of bacteria.

Removal of hazardous textile dye from simulated wastewater by municipal organic solid waste charcoal using machine learning approaches: Kinetics, isotherm, and thermodynamics

This study focuses on the probable use of municipal organic solid waste charcoal (MOSWC) as an adsorbent for Methyl orange (MO) adsorption. The prepared MOSWC is characterized by FE-SEM and FT-IR. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted with the influencing of different operational conditions namely time of contact (1–180 min), adsorbate concentration (60–140 mg/L), adsorbent dose (1–5 g/L), pH (3–11), and temperature (25–60 °C). The high coefficient value (R2 = 0.96) of the process optimization model suggests that this model was significant, where pH and adsorbent dose expressively stimulus adsorption efficiency including 40.11 mg/g at pH (3), MO concentration (100 mg/L), and MOSWC dose (1 g/L). Furthermore, the machine learning approaches (ANN and BB-RSM) revealed a good association between the tested and projected values. The highest monolayer adsorption capacity of MO was 90.909 mg/g. Pseudo-second-order was the well-suited kinetics, where Langmuir isotherm could explain better for equilibrium adsorption data. Thermodynamic study shows MO adsorption is favourable, exothermic, and spontaneous. Finally, this study indicates that MOSWC could be a potential candidate for the adsorption of MO from wastewater.

Resource recovery potential from source-separated organic municipal solid waste: opportunities for organic fertilizer production and creating sustainable urban agriculture in Ethiopia

Resource recovery potential from source-separated organic municipal solid waste: opportunities for organic fertilizer production and creating sustainable urban agriculture in Ethiopia

Occurrence and ecological risks of microplastics and phthalate esters in organic solid wastes: In a landfill located nearby the Persian Gulf

Landfill sites are the main source of plastic waste. Thus, municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills may act as a reservior of microplastics (MPs) and related pollutants such as phthalate esters (PAEs) into surrounding environment. However, there is limited information on MPs and PAEs in landfill sites. Levels of MPs and PAEs in organic solid waste disposed in a landfill of Bushehr port were investigated for the first time in this study. The mean MPs and PAEs levels in organic MSW samples were 12.3 items/g and 7.99 μg/g, respectively, and the mean PAEs concentration in MPs was 87.5 μg/g. The highest number of MPs was related to the size classes of >1000 μm and <25 μm. The highest dominant type, color, and shape of MPs in organic MSW were nylon, white/transparent, and fragments, respectively. Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) were the dominant compounds of PAEs in organic MSW. Based on the finding of present study, MPs showed a high hazard index (HI). DEHP, dioctyl phthalate (DOP), and DiBP demonstrated high-level hazards for sensitive organisms in water. This work illustrated considerable MPs and PAEs levels from an uncontrolled landfill without adequate protection, possibly contributing to their release into the environment. The sites of landfill located near marine environments, such as Bushehr port landfill adjacent to the Persian Gulf, may indicate critical threats to marine organisms and the food chain. Continuous landfills control and monitoring, especially the ones near the coastal area, is highly recommended to prevent further environmental pollution.

Conversion of Lignocellulosic Wastes into Biofertilizer using Bacterial Consortium

Lignocellulosic biomass abundantly and ubiquitously occupies the earth. However, their complex molecular structure prevents their use as a source of organic material for fermentable sugars and nutrients to be used as foods, fertilizers and biofuels. For an efficient carbon cycle, microbial enzymes play a key role in slow biodegradation of lignocellulosic wastes in nature. Microbiological applications can enhance the rate of biodegradation to utilize agro-industrial and organic municipal solid wastes, containing up to 50% lignocellulose substrates, as an inexpensive and sustainable source of plant nutrients. With this hypothesis, the current study was carried out to prepare a consortium of lignocellulose degrading bacteria and use it to convert lignocellulosic substrates in garden, sugarcane, rice, cotton and fruit waste into biofertilizer. Overall, 7-14% reduction in cellulose and 3-6% reduction in lignin content, along with decrease in pH was observed on treatment of above wastes with microbial consortium in 42 days. In spite of the low conversion rates observed in our study, better root, shoot as well as leaf development was observed in moong seedlings grown in soil amended with biofertilizer (3:1 ratio) as compared to controls. Another interesting observation was the biofertilizers with low pH prepared from sugarcane wastes (pH 3.1) and fruit wastes (pH 3.6) supported plant growth more efficiently as compared to other biofertilizers (pH 5.0 to 5.7). Thus, in addition to feasible conversion of lignocellulosic wastes into biofertilizer, our study further suggests the use of selective wastes as raw material depending on the preference of plants for slightly acidic to neutral soil pH for growth.

Municipal Organic Solid Waste to Energy: A Case Study of the West Bank-Palestine

Organic solid waste represents 50% of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) composition in Palestine. MSW in the West Bank (WB) are managed by municipalities, Local Governmental Units (LGUs), and Joint Service Councils (JSCs). MSW are collected and transferred to the existing four landfills along the WB, there are no waste separation or recycling in Palestine except small projects and enterprises. The collected MSW reaches the landfills as a mixed wastes with the composition of metal, paper, glass, plastic, and organic wastes. The current organic waste treatment in Palestinian territories is represented by composting and biogas generation, the small pilot projects of composting that have been implemented facing problems related to quality, competition, and financing. Biogas production from organic solid wastes is also limited and concentrated in producing biogas from animals manure. New proposals have been discussed regarding solid waste incineration in the field of Waste To Energy (WTE) projects, except the composting and bioenergy there are no another treatment for organic MSW in the WB. This study ensures about the importance of the concept of waste separation at source, and to adapt the concept of WTE operations. Due to the high moisture content and high organic proportion in the MSW; bio-drying processes are valuable as a pretreatment stage for organic waste treatment. This study also highlights on the Refuse Derive Fuel (RDF) as a product of bio-drying processes that could help in organic MSW treatment.