Week 2: Characteristics of

Solid Waste
ES 468

Aneeza Islam
• Characteristics of Solid Waste
- Physical Characteristics
- Chemical Characteristics
- Biological Characteristics
 Physical Properties of Solid Waste
• Important for the selection and operation of
equipment and for the analysis and design of
disposal facilities.
• Physical Properties includes:

 Specific Weight ( density)

 Moisture Content
 Size of Waste Constituent
 Field Capacity
 Permeability of Compacted Waste
 Specific Weight ( Density)
 Specific weight is defined as the weight of a material per unit volume (e.g;
kg/m3,lb/ft3)
 Usually it refers to uncompact waste.
 It varies with geographic location, season of the year, and length of time in
storage.
 Any normal compaction equipment can achieve reduction in volume of
wastes by 75%.
Typical Specific Weight Values
Moisture Content

 The moisture in a sample is expresses as percentage of

the wet weight of the MSW material.
 A typical range of moisture content is 20% to 40% ,
representing the extremes of wastes in and arid climate
and in the wet season of a region of high precipitation.
 Analysis Procedure:
1. Weigh the Aluminium Dish
2. Fill the dish with SW sample and re weigh
3. SW+ Dish in a oven at 105 °C
4. Remove the dish from the oven , allow to cool in a
desiccator, and weigh.
5. Record the weight of the dry SW+ Dish.
Typical Moisture Content of waste
 Size of the waste Constituent
The Size and distribution of the waste
components are important for the
recovery of materials , especially when
mechanical means are used , such as
trammel screens and magnetic
separators.
For example , ferrous items which are of
large size, may be too heavy to be
separated by a magnetic belt or drum
system.
 Field Capacity
 The total amount of moisture that can be retained in a waste
sample subject to the download pull of gravity.
 Field Capacity
 It is critically important in determine the formation of leachate in landfills.
 It varies with the degree of applied pressure and state of decomposition
of waste, but typical values for uncompacted commingled wastes from
residential and commercial sources are in the range of 50-60%.
Determination of field capacity of
Solid Waste
 Permeability of Compacted Waste
 The permeability ( hydraulic conductivity) of
compacted solid waste is an important physical
property because it governs the movement of
liquids and gases in a landfill.
 Permeability depends on:

I. Pore size distribution

II. Surface area
III. Porosity
 Chemical Properties of MSW
 Chemical Properties of MSW are very important in evaluating
the alternative processing and recovery options.
 If solid wastes are to be used as fuel, or are used for any
other purpose, we must know their chemical characteristics ,
including the following:

 1. Chemical: Chemical characteristics include pH , Nitrogen,

Phosphorous and Potassium (N-P-K) , total Carbon , C/N
ratio, calorific Value.
 2. Bio-Chemical: Bio-chemical characteristics include
carbohydrates, proteins, natural fibre, and biodegradable
factor.
 Toxic: Toxicity characteristics include heavy metals,
pesticides, insecticides, toxicity test for Leachates, etc.
 Method of chemical analysis

Proximate Analysis
Fusing point of ash
Ultimate analysis ( major elements)
Energy Content
 Proximate Analysis
 Proximate analysis for the combustible
components of MSW includes the following
steps:

 Moisture (Drying at 105 °C)

 Ash ( Weight of residue after combustion in an
open crucible)
 Volatile combustible matter ( Ignition at 950 °C
in the absence of oxygen)
 Fixed carbon ( Combustible Residue)
Typical Proximate Analysis Values
( % by weight)
 Fusing Point of Ash

 Fusing point of ash is the

temperature at which the
ash resulting from the burning
of waste will form a solid (
clinker) by fusion and
agglomeration.
 Typical fusing temperatures:
1100 – 1200 °C.
 Ultimate Analysis

 Involves the determination of the present C (

carbon), H ( Hydrogen), O ( Oxygen), N (
Nitrogen), S ( Sulfur) and Ash.
 The determination of halogens are often
included in an ultimate analysis.
 The results are used to characterize the
chemical composition of the organic matter in
MSW.
 They are also used to define the proper mix of
waste materials to achieve suitable C/N ratios
for biological conversion processes.
Chemical composition of MSW
Typical data in elemental analysis
( % by weight)
 Energy Content of Solid Waste

 Energy content can be

determined by;
1. By using a full scale boiler as a
calorimeter
2. By using a laboratory bomb
calorimeter
3. By Calculation

Most of the data on the energy

content of the organic components
of MSW are based on the results of
bomb calorimeter tests.
 Biological Properties of MSW
 The organic fraction of MSSW ( excluding plastics , rubber and
leather) can be classified as:

 Water-soluble constituents ( Sugar Starches , amino acids and

various organic acids
 Hemicellulose (a product of 5 and 6-Carbon sugars)
 Cellulose ( a product of 6-carbon sugar glucose)
 Fats, oils and waves ( esters of alcohols and long-chain fatty
acids)
 Lignin ( present in some paper products)
 Lignocellulose ( Combination of lignin and cellulose)
 Proteins ( amino acid chains)
 Biodegradability of MSW
 The most important biological characteristics of the organic
fraction of MSW is that almost all the organic components can be
converted biologically to gases and relatively inert organic and
inorganic solids.
 The production of odours and the generation of lies are also
related to the putrescible nature of the organic materials.
 Volatile solids (VS) , determined by ignition at 550 °C, is often used
as a measure of the biodegradability of the organic fraction of
MSW.
 Some of the organic constituents of MSW are highly volatile but
low in biodegradability(e.g. Newsprint) due to lignin content.
 The rate at which the various components can be degraded
varies markedly. For practical purposes , the principal organic
waste components in MSW are often classified as rapidly and
slowly decomposable.
 Biodegradable fraction of selected
organic waste components
Biodegradable Fraction(BF) = 0.83-0.028LC
 Where
 BF= Expressed on a volatile solids basis
 LC=Lignin content of volatile solids expresses as a percent of dry
weight