ES 200 - Anmol Gupta B)

➔ Why does the MSW of India (300-400) have a higher density than
that of developed countries (100-200)?
Mainly because of dust and also because of wet waste (no
segregation)
➔ We need routes that emphasize left turns and minimize the amount of
deadheading.
➔ Three main methods of waste transformation - Physical, Chemical and
Biological
◆ Physical -
● Component separation (manual) - Trommel screening for
example, in which a mesh like cylinder is elevated at an angle
and then waste is made to pass through it. The smaller particles
get out during the journey while the bigger ones exit at the end.
● Volume Reduction (overall volume is reduced)
● Size reduction (shredding, grinding or milling)
◆ Chemical -
● Combustion (Thermal oxidation): produces CO 2, SO2 and other
oxidation products
● Pyrolysis (destructive distillation): gas stream containing
variety of gases, tar, char, pyrolytic oil
● Gasification (starved air combustion): synthetic gas, charcoal
◆ Biological -
● Composting (aerobic): Production of compost
○ Conventional (Windrow composting - the wind-rows are
turned from time to time; they ensure proper passage of
air as well as conservation of space (it’s a trade off)
○ Vermicomposting - Eudrilus Eugeniae, Eisenia Fetida
(1kg of worms can consume 1kg of residue every day)
○ Rotary drum composting (High rate)
● Anaerobic digestion: Methane, CO2, digested humus
➔ For Physical size reduction - shredders, trommel screen.
For Component separation - air classifier, magnetic separation
➔ Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Waste leads to the production of a stream of
gas mainly composed of methane, CO2, and H2S, while the slurry stream
consists of a suspension of undigested organic matter.
➔ A lot of products or byproducts produced during anaerobic digestion can be
and are utilized for various purposes, forming a complex network (can only
use solar energy for its working). Production of energy (electricity) is also
pretty good here.
➔ BARC - Bhabha’s Atomic Research Centre
➔ A pollution control system converts waste to energy and at various stages
filters out emittants, particles, acids, NO2, mercury etc - producing water
vapor and clean flue gases (gases that come out of the flue, which is
basically a pipe or a chimney) in the end.
 ES 200 - Anmol Gupta B)

➔ Emissions from incinerators -

◆ Organic Compounds: Dioxins, Furans, Polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), Chlorinated Benzenes etc.
◆ Heavy Metals: As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, etc.
◆ Particulate Matter: PM 2.5, PM 10
◆ Gases: HCl, HF, HBr, SOx, NOx, CO, CO2 etc.
➔ Wastewater from wet exhaust gas cleaning (in incinerators) contains heavy
metals
➔ Dioxins and furans are formed as a by-product of combustion involving
chlorine related compounds and hydrocarbons and come under the category
of  Persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
◆ PCDD - Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins - 7 out of 75 are very toxic
◆ PCDF - Polychlorinated dibenzo-furans
◆ Congeners - derivatives differing only in the number and position of
chlorine atoms
◆ TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) - most toxic compound
known to science.
➔ Activated control beds act as control technologies.
➔ Gasification - Partial oxidation of the organic and fossil fuel based materials
into gaseous fuel at elevated temperatures, which can be further used to
generate energy and other products
◆ The solids that come out of this process can in turn be used for
construction purposes.
➔ Disposal:
◆ Open Dumping
● Breeding grounds for microorganisms
● Risks to public health and safety
● Liquid and gaseous emissions can greatly pollute the
environment
◆ Barging into sea
◆ Land filling
● Sanitary Landfill
○ Liner System, Cap System, Gas Management system,
leachate management system, monitoring system
○ Disposal is accomplished in a way such that contact
between wastes and the environment is significantly
reduced, and wastes are concentrated in a well defined
area.
○ Good control of landfill gas and leachate
○ MSW 2000 rules recommend atleast 15 years of post
closure care for the landfill
○ Restored landfill can be converted to recreational parks,
grounds, etc.
 ES 200 - Anmol Gupta B)

➔ Municipal Solid Waste (Management and handling) rule was notified by the
Ministry of Environment and Forest, GoI on 25th September 2000
◆ As per the rule, biodegradable material should not be landfilled
➔

➔ Reduce Reuse Recycle

➔ Recycling:
◆ Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration
◆ Prevent pollution caused by process to make products
◆ Saves energy, decreases emission of greenhouse gases
◆ Conserves natural resources, sustainable future
➔ Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) system is a type of waste processing
facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment
such as composting or anaerobic digestion. MBT plants are designed to
process mixed household waste as well as commercial and industrial wastes.
◆ First mechanical sorting is done
◆ Then some products are sent for recycling, some for landfilling, and
others for biological processing
◆ Some for compost and some for biogas/energy production
➔ Earth has warmed by over 1o F over the past 100 years
➔ Green Technology is an application of technology for the following
objectives:
◆ Lowering greenhouse emissions
◆ Increasing the efficient use of natural resources
 ES 200 - Anmol Gupta B)

◆ Improving air, water quality or other environmental aspects

➔ Parabolic troughs are used for solar energy
➔ 1 barrel = 42 US Gallons = 159 litres
➔ Lignite has highest GHG emission
➔ Coal is the major source of electricity as well as in general for energy
consumption in India as well as the world
➔ India shows less inclination towards alternative fuels than the world average
➔ CCS - Carbon Capture and Storage:
Source - Capture and Separation - Compression - Transport - Injection -
Storage
➔ Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous
year's crop residue (such as corn stalks or wheat stubble) on fields before
and after planting the next crop, to reduce soil erosion and runoff. (should
be done on the entire cropland)
➔ Synthetic trees have been proposed to curb CO2 from the atmosphere
➔ Stabilization Wedges: A “wedge” is a strategy to reduce carbon emissions
that grows in 50 years from zero to 1.0 GtC/yr (Gigatons of Carbon per
year). The strategy has already been commercialized at scale somewhere
◆ A “solution” to the CO2 problem should provide at least one wedge.
◆ Some of the proposed solutions are - Energy efficiency and
conservation, renewables, nuclear power, CCS
◆ But no single solution is good enough since it requires huge scaling -
better to have lots or all of the solutions
➔ "Bio-medical waste" means any waste, which is generated during the
diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals or in
research activities pertaining to the production or testing of biological.
◆ Consists of solids, liquids, sharps and other waste that are potentially
dangerous
➔ "Biologicals" means any preparation made from organisms or product of
metabolism and biochemical reactions intended for use in the diagnosis,
immunisation or the treatment of human beings or animals or in research
activities pertaining thereto
➔ Infectious waste - 15-20%
➔ Average waste generation of 1.6 kg/bed/day.
➔ BMW Rules - Bio Medical Waste Handling Rules - 2011
➔ Incineration is the preferred method for handling/disposing the bio-medical
wastes in most categories (human waste, animal waste, dressings wale
wastes, even discarded/expired medicines in some cases)
➔ No chemical pretreatment is required prior to incineration
➔ Incineration is a controlled combustion process where waste is completely
oxidized and harmful microorganisms present in it are destroyed/denatured
under high temperature
◆ Combustion Efficiency should be at least 99%
◆ Temperature of primary chamber should be around 800-900 oC
 ES 200 - Anmol Gupta B)

◆ Secondary chamber residence time should be at least 1 sec with

temperature of 1000-1100oC
◆ Minimum stack height for burning should be more than 30 metres
above the ground
➔ Microwaving - frequency range of 300 MHz and 300 GHz
➔ Autoclaving - heating in an autoclave - a strong heated container used for
chemical reactions and other processes using high pressures and
temperatures, e.g. steam sterilization.
➔ Cobalt source is used in irradiation technique
➔ Plasma (pyrolysis) gasification is a process which converts organic matter
into synthetic gas,[1] electricity,[2] and slag[1] using plasma.
◆ Plasma is a means to convert electrical energy into heat energy
directly.
➔ CBWTF - Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility
➔ Deep Burial is also practised in some cases - mostly in areas where
population is less than 5 lacs.
➔