Motivation The other day I was waiting at the station for my train. Next to me a young lady was nonchalantly leaning against the wall. Suddenly, she took a cigarette pack out of her handbag, pulled out the last cigarette, put it between her lips, crushed the empty pack, threw it on the ground and hedonistically lit the cigarette. I thought to myself, "What a behavior?!". The nearest trashcan was just five meters away. So I bent down, took the crushed pack and gave it back to her, saying that she had lost it. She looked at me in a rather deranged way, but she said nothing and of waste to the trashcan. brought the piece Often people are not aware of the waste they produce. They get rid of it and that's it. As soon as the charming lady dropped the cigarette pack, the problem was solved for her. The pack was on the ground and it suddenly no longer belonged to her. It is taken for granted that somebody else will do the cleaning up. There is a saying that nature does not produce waste. For long as humans obtained the goods they needed from the ground where they lived, the waste that was produced could be handled by nature. This has drastically changed due to urbanization and waste produced by human activities has become a severe burden.

Biomethanization of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes is a comprehensive introduction to both the fundamentals and the more practical aspects of the anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes, particularly those derived from households, that is, the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). It can be used as a textbook for specialized courses and also as a guide for practitioners. In the first part, the book covers the relevant aspects of anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic wastes. The fundamentals and kinetic aspects of AD are reviewed with particular emphasis on the aspects related to solid wastes. This introduction is necessary to have a comprehensive view of the AD process and to understand the practical principles as well as the origin of possible problems arising from the management of the process. Chapter 2 emphasizes the role of kinetics in designing the reactor, paying special attention to existing models, particularly the dynamic ones. Through this introduction, it is intended to facilitate the technology transfer from laboratory or pilot plant experiences to full-scale process, in order to implement improvements in current digesters. Laboratory methods are described for the analysis and optimization of reactor performance, such as methanogenic activity tests or experimental evaluation of the biodegradation kinetics of solid organic waste. The different reaction patterns applied to industrial reactors are outlined. Industrial reactors are classified in accordance with the system they use, pointing out advantages and limitations. Co-digestion, enabling the co-treatment of organic wastes of different origin in a more economically feasible way, is described in detail. Examples of co-digestion are given, with OFMSW as a base-substrate. Finally, full-scale co-digestion plants are discussed. Various types (mechanical, biological, physico-chemical) of pre-treatment to increase the biodegradability, and thus the yields of the process, are reviewed in detail. The use of the fermentation products of anaerobic digesters for biological nutrient removal processes in wastewater treatment plants is described. This constitutes an example of integrated waste management, a field in which both economic and technical advances can be achieved. Balances are given to justify the approach, and a full-scale case study is presented. The important topic of economics and the ecological advantages of the process are emphasized. The use of compost, the integration with composting technology, and advantages over other technologies are detailed in the framework of an environmental impact assessment of biowaste treatment. Finally, the anaerobic digestion of MSW in landfills is reviewed in detail, with emphasis on landfill process enhancement and strategies for its application.

Currently, the management of solid waste represents a major economic and environmental issue throughout the world. Trends in waste generation show an increase in the volumes of waste produced in most countries and it is clear that the trend will continue. The treatment and disposal of solid waste involves a range of processes including landfill, incineration and composting, all of which may result in emissions to the environment. Municipal investments are said to be highly capital-intensive. As a result, every investment needs to be preceded by the economic analysis which allows for the estimation of the effectiveness of the investment. Investments are made to make profits and to increase savings. This book presents current research in the study of municipal solid waste, with a particular focus on recycling and cost effectiveness.

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE TO ENERGY CONVERSION PROCESSES A TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC REVIEW OF EMERGING WASTE DISPOSAL TECHNOLOGIES Intended for a wide audience ranging from engineers and academics to decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, Municipal Solid Waste to Energy Conversion Processes: Economic, Technical, and Renewable Comparisons reviews the current state of the solid waste disposal industry. It details how the proven plasma gasification technology can be used to manage Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and to generate energy and revenues for local communities in an environmentally safe manner with essentially no wastes. Beginning with an introduction to pyrolysis/gasification and combustion technologies, the book provides many case studies on various waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies and creates an economic and technical baseline from which all current and emerging WTE technologies could be compared and evaluated. Topics include: Pyrolysis/gasification technology, the most suitable and economically viable approach for the management of wastes Combustion technology Other renewable energy resources including wind and hydroelectric energy Plasma economics Cash flows as a revenue source for waste solids-to-energy management Plant operations, with an independent case study of Eco-Valley plant in Utashinai, Japan Extensive case studies of garbage to liquid fuels, wastes to electricity, and wastes to power ethanol plants illustrate how currently generated MSW and past wastes in landfills can be processed with proven plasma gasification technology to eliminate air and water pollution from landfills.

This book contains detailed and structured approaches to tackling practical decision-making troubles using economic consideration and analytical methods in Municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Among all other types of environmental burdens, MSW management is still a mammoth task, and the worst part is that a suitable technique to curb the situation in developing countries has still not emerged. Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries will help fill this information gap based on information provided by field professionals. This information will be helpful to improve and manage solid waste systems through the application of modern management techniques. It covers all the fundamental concepts of MSWM; the various component systems, such as collection, transportation, processing, and disposal; and their integration. This book also discusses various component technologies available for the treatment, processing, and disposal of MSW. Written in view of actual scenarios in developing countries, it provides knowledge to develop solutions for prolonged problems in these nations. It is mainly for undergraduate and postgraduate students, research scholars, professionals, and policy makers.

Solid waste has grown into a relatively difficult problem to solve for those responsible for its management; these responsibilities include the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of solid wastes, particularly wastes generated in medium and large urban centres. This problem is even more intense in economically developing countries, where the financial, human, and other critical resources are scarce in general. In the last decade, there has been a great interest and awareness regarding the environmentally safe management of waste worldwide, centralised in legislative, administrative, standardisation, and research activities in this field. Therefore, it is essential to develop short- and long-term waste management strategies (often named the 3Rs) and their consequent implementation in compliance with the formulated priorities for waste: (1) Reduce, (2) Recycle, (3) Reuse and (4) environmentally safe disposal. Several contradictions and lack of agreement still exist, even regarding the major basic definitions, e.g., which material should be treated as "waste" and which as a "beneficial raw material", which wastes are "hazardous" and which are "non-hazardous", etc. Quite often, different approaches and as a consequence, waste management/disposals are adopted for the same situation/materials. Environmental risk assessment procedures and mode of actions are varied greatly not only within national levels, but also at regional levels within the same country by different groups of scientists and/or policy makers. The general idea of the book has arisen from the mutual experience of many specialists in numerous disciplines from different countries involved in the problem of environmental assessment, economic and monitoring approaches, and control approaches for chemicals generated from solid waste disposal. Solid waste worldwide issues nowadays reflect the complexity and unbalanced development of our world at the beginning of the 21st century. This book covers a broad group of wastes, from biowaste to hazardous waste. The contributors to the book are recognised experts in the diverse fields associated with the issues of waste management and the reuse-recycle of materials, and are from different parts of the world. Authors present their experience and approaches considering both international and national/local specifics. The book is addressed to the wide range of end-users, decision-makers and professionals involved in environmental and agricultural issues: administration, designers, manufacturers, policy makers, farmers, researchers, academics and university students, and is focused on waste properties, environmental behaviour and management in an environmentally safe way. It was not the intention of the editor/authors to exhaust the subject, which is intensely broad, but to give a general idea with updating trends in the field of solid waste management concerning disposal, monitoring, assessment and remedial options, which are demonstrated also in case studies. The authors hope that this book to some extent will contribute to the trials and efforts for the proper, environmentally safe practices of solid waste disposal, and will provide state-of-the-art information and discussion, monitoring strategies, advanced approaches and methods, techniques and equipment for environmentally safe disposal and remediation of solid wastes.

This text covers a broad spectrum of topics pertinent to the management of incinerator residues. Background information includes a history of incineration, and the influence of municipal waste composition, incinerator type air pollution control technologies on residue quality. Physical, chemical and leaching characteristics for the various ash streams are described, along with recommended sampling and evaluation methodologies. Residue handling and management options, including, treatment utilisation and disposal are also discussed in detail.