ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

EV10003
Waste management

Suverna Trivedi
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

 Topics covered

• Consumerism and our throw-away culture

• Characteristics of municipal solid waste
• Sustainable practices in waste management
• CPHEEO guidelines for solid waste
management
• Transition to zero waste lifestyle
• Tackling the rise of e-waste
• Looming waste crisis from global renewable
energy boom
 Consumerism and our throw-away culture

• Consumerism is related to the constant purchasing

of new goods, with little attention to their true
need, durability, product origin, or the
environmental consequences of their manufacture
and disposal.
• Most human activities are related to production
and consumption cycle which produce excessive
amounts of waste in the form of solid, liquid and
gaseous waste products.

https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadas-dirty-secret
Consumerism and our throw-away culture

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/102316222762788896/
Consumerism and our throw-away culture

https://expressrecyclingandsanitation.com/2013/07/15/we-are-a-throw-away-culture-infographic/
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https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/deadly-1948-donora-smog-launched-clean-air-movement.htm
Global waste composition

Source: What a waste 2.0

Global waste treatment & disposal

Source: What a waste 2.0

Global waste disposal by income & region

Source: What a waste 2.0

Global waste composition by income level

Source: What a waste 2.0

Waste segregation

ELECTRONICS

NON – RECYCLABLE
MIXED INERTS

Source: https://depositphotos.com/vector-images/bin.html
Organic waste management

Source: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0956053X14003328-gr1.jpg
Plastic waste management

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128131404000121?via%3Dihub
Electronic waste management

Source: http://www.omrsolutions.com/omr_web/solutions/government/e-waste-management.php
 Paper waste management

Source: https://www.dreamstime.com/illustrative-diagram-paper-waste-recycling-process-illustrative-diagram-paper-waste-recycling-process-step-step-image200556145
Glass waste management

Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-vector/infographic-diagram-glass-waste-recycling-process-1507470893
Metal waste management

Source: https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/environment/metal-recycling-process
 Inert waste management

• Inert waste is generally sent to a

sanitary landfill
• It can be used in construction as a
substituent material
• However, only non-hazardous waste
can be used in construction

Source: https://www.kissclipart.com/free/landfill,2.html
 6 elements of a waste management system

1. Waste Generation
2. Handling separation storage and processing at source
3. Collection
4. Separation processing and transformation
5. Transfer and transport
6. Disposal
Functional elements of waste management system
 Waste Generation

• Waste is material that has no further value to its owner and is thrown away
• Some has further value to others (reuse)
• Chemical ingredients
• Electronic parts
• Compost for your garden
• Some is just waste (disposal)
• Food wrappings
• Product containers
• Household hazardous
• As technology develops, something that was previously considered as waste
may have renewed value:
• Food to CH4 for energy production
https://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/food_waste.html
 Handling, separation, storage & processing at source

• Best place is at the source

• Placed in various containers (blue-green-yellow)
• Separate the valuable from the waste (paper, metals, plastics)
• Avoid contamination from hazardous waste
• Proper on-site storage for health reason
• Need the cooperation of citizens for separation for work
• At home and at work
• Houses vs. condos vs. apartments
• Much of it can be contaminated and must be processed at a
facility
• Onsite processing can include composting and compaction into
various containers
 Collection

• Gathering waste and recyclables

• Transport to recycle transfer or disposal facilities
• Interim disposal at transfer station
• The location is a function of distance to disposal site
• Considered the most expensive component of solid waste
handling
• Industries are handled separately from municipal waste
 Separation, processing and transformation

• Could be as simple as opening bags

• Special facilities to separate recyclables into various
streams
• Includes shredding for easier handling
• Compacting to reduce shipping costs
• Screens and mechanical separators
• Incineration and composting are considered as
transformation of the waste
 Transfer and transport

• Smaller collection vehicles used to bring the waste to final

destination (landfill incinerator) or to a transfer station
• Compacted further and transported farther
• Truck
• Rail (cheapest)
• barge

https://www.hudsonnh.gov/publicworks/page/transfer-station-guide
 Disposal

• Landfill of waste or the residue of processed/transferred waste

• Considered the final destination with large liability
• A modern landfill is an engineered facility to safely contain
waste
• Provides for maximum CH4 production and minimal escape of
leachate
• The quicker the CH4 is produced the faster the landfill is
stabilized allowing the site to be “reused”
• Incinerated waste would have different characteristics
 Solid waste management example

• Political science
• Geography
• Economics
• Public health
• Sociology
• Communications
• Material science
• Archeology
• Engineering ← Its just a small component

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Systems-approaches-to-integrated-solid-waste-in-Marshall-Farahbakhsh/cb04c5513799df1b589cd24d76b358730c97b436
 Integrated Solid waste management

https://wasteadvantagemag.com/evolution-of-integrated-solid-waste-management-systems-enhanced-with-municipal-utilities-and-green-energy-production/
 Source reduction

• Reduce material use in product manufacture

• Increase useful life through durability and reparability

• Decrease toxicity

• Material reuse (pallets, containers, etc.)

• Efficient consumer use of materials

 Source reduction

• EPA estimates that 50% of the waste quantity can be reduced

with source reduction

• Should not be a substitute of one problem for another

• Packaging is 50% of waste volume and 1/3 of waste weight

– Paper and plastics

– Spend more on food packaging than farmers net income

– Replace with smaller, lighter, degradable material

Segregation of waste

Source: https://www.millenniumrecycling.com/process/
 Recycling

Returning of
raw material
to market

Typical Mechanical Recycling process of plastic waste

Source: https://www.packagingsa.co.za/info-library/packaging-types/plastics/the-plastics-recycling-sequence/
 Recycling

Pros: Cons:
• Save precious resources • Waste oil recycling, newspaper
• Lessens need for mining of de-inking, solvent and metal
virgin materials recycling
• Lowers environmental impact • Can result in contamination of
of mining/processing soil, groundwater, air
• Stretch landfill capacity • Require stable market
• Improves efficiency of • Only works if it is convenient
incinerators and composting • Curbside pick-up
facilities • Drop off centers
• Mail back programs
 Composting
• Natural decomposition of organic material
• Need organic, water, oxygen
• Not use preserved wood, human wastes, bones, meat, fat, certain
weeds

• Individual
• Municipal
• Major factors of consideration: Temperature and pH
• Major Types: windrow composting & aerated static
pile composting
 Composting

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/pluginfile.php/170069/mod_oucontent/oucontent/13842/90723551/2f744a9c/m4_ss8_fig8.4.jpg
 Waste to Energy

Through
• Heat
• Electricity
• Co-generation (harnessing of useful heat and
electricity from one power plant)
The two most common types of combustion that are used at these
facilities are;
• Mass Burning / Preparation
• Combustion of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)
 Typical waste to energy plant

https://wasteadvantagemag.com/evolution-of-integrated-solid-waste-management-systems-enhanced-with-municipal-utilities-and-green-energy-production/
 Conversion technologies

Mass Burning / Preparation Combustion of RDF

– MSW enters the facility and is – All hazardous, iron containing or
inspected for the presence of non- otherwise non-combustible materials are
combustible, hazardous, and explosive removed from the waste stream.
materials. These materials are
– The remainder of the waste stream is
separated from the waste stream
shredded
– The waste stream is then fed into the
– The material is then burned or further
combustion chamber along with forced
processed into pellets or cubes to be
air for “processing”.
used as fuel in other furnaces
– Some of these facilities can process
3000 tons of MSW a day. They can – In some instanced the materials can be

however be scaled down to a smaller processed and packaged for re-sale to

size if necessary other facilities for use as fuel
 Waste to Energy

PROS: CONS:
• Reduce volume of waste • Cost
• Recover useful energy • High degree of
• Steam sophistication needed to
• Waste operate safely and
• Incinerator ash can be economically
used in building material
• Public perception of safety

– Stack emissions

– Toxicity of ash
 Landfilling

• Concept fostered in early 20th century

• An area of land that has solid waste deposited on it in
such a quantity to noticeably change the surface
elevation.
• 50-70% of municipal solid waste is landfilled.

Advantages
• Carbon sequestration ?
• Easy and cheap solution !!
• Nutrients from leachate ?
• Energy from landfill gas ?
• A quick fix solution for hazardous and infectious waste ?
 Dumpsite vs Landfill

• Dumps are open places where • Landfills are carefully designed

trash is buried and where and monitored structures that
animals swarm. isolate trash from the
surrounding environment.
• They offer no environmental
protection and are not • They typically use a bottom liner
regulated. and daily covering of soil.
Components of a sanitary Landfill

https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/Book%201.pdf
 Problems associated with Landfilling

• Physical amount and disposal sites

• Costs to collect, handle, and dispose
• Litter
• Odor
• Insects (flies, cockroaches) & rodents
– food
– harborage
• Resource lost
 Sustainable practices in waste management

• Expand sanitary waste disposal and landfill management

• Develop infrastructure for waste utilization
• Integrate waste management and social inclusion
• Promote innovation in waste collection services
• Support development of market economy for waste recycling
• Use digital mapping to manage solid waste
• Ensure and implement integrated waste management systems

https://c40-production-images.s3.amazonaws.com/good_practice_briefings/images/9_C40_GPG_SSWS.original.pdf?1456789082
Sustainable practices in waste management

https://www.gjesm.net/article_39143.html
Sustainable practices in waste management

https://www.torontoenvironment.org/zerowaste_benefits
 Sustainability in waste management

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250276608_Governing_solid_waste_management_in_Mazatenango_Guatemala_Problems_and_prospects/figures;
Hierarchy of Sustainable waste management

http://nswai.com/docs/Sustainable%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20in%20India_Final.pdf
 Past and projected future resource use in India
❑ Finite resources such as metals and minerals
will become more expensive as their
extraction becomes more difficult
❑ The resulting supply constraints will put
great pressure on productive sectors
❑ The future needs of India for resources and
its dimensions and challenges, such as
resource availability and access, affordability
and sustainability make it clear that
resource-efficient production processes and
the use of secondary materials are inevitable

Past and projected future resource use in India (Source: based on data from to meet both growing demand and supply
Dittrich, 2012; SERI, 2012; World Bank, 2012; UN Population Statistics, 2012,
constraints (FIRP, 2015)
IGEP 2013, Cited from: Framework for the Indian Resource Panel, 2015 )
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Timeline chart
 Timeline chart of waste management policies and activities in India

4/7/2024 54
 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

4/7/2024 56
 Identification of treatment technologies

Biological- Chemical Conversion Thermal Conversion

Composting Anaerobic digestion Incineration Gasification Pyrolysis

• Windrow • One stage digestion • Mass burning system • Co-Current fixed bed • Fixed bed method
• Aerated static pile • Two stage digestion • Refuse derived Fuel • Counter current fixed • Electrically heated auger
• In Vessel • Fluidized bed bed method
• Vermi-composting • Modular incinerator • Fluidized bed • Rotating cone method
• Entrained flow • Fluidized bed
• Plasma gasifier

Compost Sludge Biogas Powdered Ash Gas/Oil Syngas Solid Char

Fertilizer Energy Construction

material Electricity
4/7/2024 57
 Waste to Energy in India
450
400 382.7
350

Capacity in MW
300
250
200
150
69.2 84.3 66.35
100
50
0
Operational Under Proposed Non-functional
Construction
Waste to Energy in India (MW)

Source: Sambyal, S. S., and Richa, A. 2018. To burn or not to burn: Feasibility of Waste to Energy
Plants in India. CSE Publishers, India

4/7/2024 58
 HTC of the organic fraction of MSW

Hydroc Fuel
har Pellets

Yard Waste

Reactor

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Food Van Krevelen diagram
Application of hydrochar
 Framework development using socio-economic context

/Yard waste

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Solid Waste Management in India

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Transition to zero waste lifestyle

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/deadly-1948-donora-smog-launched-clean-air-movement.htm
 Transition to zero waste lifestyle

• ESTABLISH YOUR “WHY”

• ASSESS YOUR WASTE
• PRIORITIZE
• REPLACE ITEMS AS THEY RUN OUT
• RESEARCH HOW TO PROPERLY RECYLE
OLD ITEMS, DONATE, SELL OR UP-
CYCLE THEM
• REMEMBER: IT’S A PROCESS!

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/05/zero-waste-families-plastic-culture/
Transition to zero waste lifestyle

https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/zero-waste-lifestyle-tips-for-self-care-vector-25661082
 Transition to zero waste lifestyle

• Reducing consumption and discards

• Reusing discards
• The principle of producer accountability
(including extended producer responsibility
strategies)
• Comprehensive recycling
• Comprehensive composting or bio-digestion of organic materials

https://www.no-burn.org/introduction-to-zero-waste/
 Transition to zero waste lifestyle

• Citizen participation and worker rights

• A ban on waste incineration and illegal dumping
• Systematic reduction of landfilling over time
• Effective policies, regulations, incentives, and
financing structures to support these
systems.

https://www.no-burn.org/introduction-to-zero-waste/
E-waste – Definition & categories
Global E-waste generation
Life cycle of E-waste
Environmental management of E-waste

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128161906000054
 Electronic waste management

Source: https://www.intechopen.com/books/e-waste-in-transition-from-pollution-to-resource/a-review-of-technology-of-metal-recovery-from-electronic-waste
E-waste Recycling
E-waste as a resource through metal recovery
Hydrometallurgical Recovery of Metals From E-waste
 Looming waste crisis from global renewable energy

Solar panel waste

2050
Global wind turbine
blade waste

Wind turbine waste

https://www.irena.org/publications/2016/Jun/End-of-life-management-Solar-Photovoltaic-Panels
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303239488_A_cautionary_approach_in_transitioning_to_%27green%27_energy_technologies_and_practices_is_required/figures?lo=1
Pollutants

• Microplastics (<5 millimetres [mm])

• Macroplastics (>5 mm)
• Other solid waste
• Pesticides
• Nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus)
• Antibiotics, parasiticides, other pharmaceuticals
• Heavy metals
• Industrial chemicals and persistent organic
pollutants
• Oil and gas

Image Credit: Jenna Jambeck

Plastic as a Key to Addressing Ocean Pollution, May 2020

Applications that we are researching Waste heat recovery and reuse
currently and is planned for in near future Water
Bio-coke Treatment
Dry biomass for process heating recovery Heat &
Gas

Heat

Adsorbent
Functionalization

s
Targeted Kitchen / Food Hydrothermal Hydrochar Bio-Coal

Electrodes
Carbonization (HTC)

Catalysts
Waste Processing Waste &

Adsorbents
yard waste

Fuel
Organic
Acid HTC Liquid Sodium Ion
CHP
Fermentation Catalytic
Synthesis Batteries

Liquid

Anaerobic

Fuel
Solid

Digestion
UF
Chromatographic Agrochemicals
separation Cleaning
Biogas /Upgrading Biomethane

Biochemical
Treatment
Lactic Acid
Co-polymerization

Biopolymer

Biomedical Bioelectricity,
Bioplastics Application Plant Acid and Biofertilize
Biocid Growth alkali recovery r
s e Promoter
 Solid Waste Management rules in India

• To enhance the existing waste management practices, Government of India

conglomerated policies and structure for solid waste management. They are entitled
as Solid Waste Management (SWM) rules 2016.
• Selection Criteria for waste processing technologies was drafted by CPCB in
compliance with National Green tribunal.
• A manual is developed by Ministry of Urban Development, which provides stepwise
guidance to local authorities in development of solid waste management systems
(CPHEEO, 2016).

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Organizational structure
 Salient features of SWM 2016

1. The source segregation of waste has been mandated to channelize the waste to
wealth by recovery, reuse and recycle.
2. Responsibilities of Generators have been introduced to segregate waste in to three
streams, Wet, Dry and domestic hazardous wastes and handover segregated wastes
to authorized rag-pickers or waste collectors or local bodies.
3. Generator will have to pay “User Fee” to waste collector and for “Spot Fine” for
Littering and Non-segregation.
4. The concept of partnership in Swachh Bharat has been introduced. Bulk and
institutional generators, market associations, event organizers and hotels and
restaurants have been made directly responsible for segregation and sorting the waste
and manage in partnership with local bodies.
 Salient features of SWM 2016

5. All Resident Welfare and market Associations, Gated communities and institution with
an area “5,000 sq. m” should segregate waste at source- in to valuable dry waste and
handover recyclable material to either the authorized waste pickers or the authorized
recyclers, or to the urban local body.
6. The bio-degradable waste should be processed, treated and disposed of through
composting or bio-methanation within the premises as far as possible. The residual waste
shall be given to the waste collectors or agency as directed by the local authority.
7. All manufacturers of disposable products who sale or market their products in such
packaging material which are non-biodegradable should put in place a system to collect
back the packaging waste generated due to their production.
8. The concept of RDF, and types of waste generated and the need of WTE is also
mentioned in the Waste Management Rules, 2016.
THANK YOU
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