Breakthrough Technologies for the Biorefining of Organic Solid and

Breakthrough Technologies for the Biorefining of Organic Solid and

Liquid Wastes

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Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is the name for the waste produced by residences, businesses, institutions, and industrial enterprises (MSW.) The waste stream from industrial processes, construction, demolition, sewerage, mining, and agriculture is not regarded as MSW (Nathanson &Schneider, 2015.) The MSW may be classified as hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste depending on its origin and the other materials it has come into contact with. The management of MSW has a lot of advantages. Without adequate management of the MSW life cycle, we run the risk of experiencing ecological and environmental issues, as well as air and soil pollution and contaminated ground and surface water supplies.

Historically, waste dumps served as a breeding ground for rats and insects that carried diseases including the plague, typhoid, and dysentery (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015.) Because of their unsanitary conditions, potential fire threats, and wind-blown material across the surrounding area, open rubbish dumps were not only a source of rodents and insects but were also seen as a public nuisance (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015.)

When MSW is mentioned, it alludes to the different objects, including trash that we place outside for pickup on the designated weekly trash day. There are distinctions between refuse, garbage, rubbish, and trash if we look at MSW in greater detail. Weekly curbside pickup from private residences is regarded as refuse, which is made up of both garbage and rubbish. The term “garbage” refers to highly decomposing organic food waste, including eggshells, vegetable and fruit peels, and meat scraps. Garbage is described as everything that cannot be recycled, including textiles, wood, glass, rubber, metal, and paper (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015.) Mattresses, televisions, refrigerators, and couches are examples of large parts that need particular handling techniques and are frequently referred to as trash (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015). It is crucial to comprehend these distinctions when comparing the costs of various MSW systems and recycling options.

To maximize the energy and value, various methods might be needed due to the complexity of the different solid and liquid wastes’ chemical, physical, and biological features. the recycling of garbage. When a waste is managed and used, its physical and chemical characteristics change. Sludge is created during the treatment of wastewater, for instance. The three streams of oil, water, and dry particles that make up this scum from a MWW treatment facility may be separated. To address the fresh streams and states, further procedures must be implemented. This brings up the topic of bio refining, which has generated considerable attention in the area of generating energy from biomass.

The extra benefit of lowering MSW’s volume and weight by 95% and 75%, respectively, through incineration, a time-tested and reliable method of waste disposal (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015.) The destruction of dangerous compounds in the garbage by the intense heat of incineration is another advantage of burning MSW. The production of smoke pollution and the related expenditures of adhering to legal standards for air pollution control are two drawbacks of incineration. Fly and bottom ash produced by incineration are toxic when inhaled. This same ash can be treated physically or chemically to help with dissipation, and recently, this treated ash has been used in road construction projects.

In a controlled environment, composting causes MSW to decompose. Not a mechanical or chemical process, but a biological one (Nathanson & Schneider, 2015.) The amount of MSW can be significantly reduced through composting. 2013’s Sussman Mulch, which can be reused in gardens and other inland landscaping purposes, is the end result of the composting process. Composting the soil improves the soil’s texture, adds structure, and offers nutrients, all of which serve to lower watering expenses.

Oily wastes are made up of fat, oil, and grease (FOG), which can come from a variety of sources, such as wasted cooking oil, MWW scum, food processing scum, grocery store and warehouse wastewater scum, and more. Drainage systems are clogged by oily contaminants that are collected in wastewater. Aside from that, they might be harmful to both human and environmental health. Normally, oily wastes are managed by AD, either through landfilling or the creation of low energy-density biogas; this creates a substantial environmental danger. Due to the strong demand for renewable biodiesel created by using virgin vegetable oil as a feedstock, the opportunity to use oily waste for this purpose is now available but is becoming fairly expensive for the biodiesel industry.

Reference

Chen, P., Anderson, E., Addy, M., Zhang, R., Cheng, Y., Peng, P., … & Ruan, R. (2018). Breakthrough technologies for the biorefining of organic solid and liquid wastes. Engineering, 4(4), 574-580.

Chen, P., Xie, Q., Addy, M., Zhou, W., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., … & Ruan, R. (2016). Utilization of municipal solid and liquid wastes for bioenergy and bioproducts production. Bioresource technology, 215, 163-172.