Characterization and Waste To Energy Techniques for Improving Municipal Solid Waste Management In Una Town, Himachal Pradesh, India A Case Study

Abstract

In this study the characterisation of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the potential energy content is estimated for an agricultural town Una (Tier-IV city) of Himachal Pradesh located in Northern region of India. The MSW samples from the dump site were collected seasonally to analyse the physical and chemical (proximate, ultimate and heavy metal analysis) characteristics. The average waste generation in the study area is 6 tonnes /day with per capita generation waste of 0.29- 0.32 kg/day. The physical characterisation revealed that the waste generated in the study location is rich in organic content (56%) followed by the plastic (10.3%) and inert materials (10.5%). It was observed from the results that average MSW composition varies with respect to time and seasons. The presence of heavy metals in waste was found to be in lower concentrations but could be a cause of concern in the future. The average calorific value for the study location was determined to be 2263 kcal/kg which is sufficient enough to be utilised for energy recovery from waste. The energy content (calorific value) in MSW is high due to presence of food waste, paper, plastic which makes it suitable for installation of energy recovery and waste to energy units. Further the average C/N ratio was determined to be 22.72 which are indicative that the MSW generated is suitable for treatment of organics including composting and energy generation. On the basis of waste characterisation and energy content results; suitable alternative options for utilization of energy value of waste for entire Una city and district were compared and appropriate Waste to Energy (WTE) techniques were suggested.