TECHNICAL SEMINAR REPORT

ON

DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements award of degree of

BATCHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

in

CIVIL ENGINEERING

BY

BHAVANI CHALLA 16K45A0101

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 Table of contents
Sl.No Topic Page no

1 Introduction to Solid Waste 3

2 Types of soild wastes 3

3 Sources of Wastes 4

4 Need for Disposal of solid waste 5

5 Methods of disposal of solid 6 - 12

wastes
6 Conclusion 13

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1.INTRODUCTION
Solid waste is the unwanted or useless solid materials generated from combined residential,
industrial and commercial activities in a given area. It consists of household waste, construction
and demolition debris, sanitation residue and waste from streets. The garbage is mainly
generated from residential and commercial complexes. The composition of municipal solid waste
is also changing. Earlier it was mainly food and other biodegradable refuse but now a days
plastics and aluminium cans form a large chunk of the daily municipal solid waste generation.

The following are the types and sources of Municipal Solid Waste.

TYPES OF SOILD WASTES

Garbage : Animal and vegetable wastes resulting from handling, sale, storage, preparation and
cooking of food; contains rotting organic matter which produces an door.

Ashes and Residues: Substances remaining from burning of Combustible materials for cooking
and heating in houses,institutions.

Combustible and non-combustible waste: Paper, cardboard,

Bulky waste : Furniture, crates, vehicle parts, tyres and appliance such as washing machines and
Refrigerators.

Street waste : Waste collected from streets and roads such as Paper, foodscrap, plastic and
cardboard.

Biodegradable and non bio degradable waste : It refers to the food leftover and vegetable peels
and fruit peels and non biodegradable waste refers to plastic, cans, glass and metals.

Dead animals: Those that die naturally or are killed on the road (does not include waste from
slaughter houses)
Vehicles: Abandoned in open spaces.

Construction and demolition waste: Stones, concrete, brick, lumber, roofing and plumbing
materials, electrical wiring

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SOURCES OF SOLID WASTE
Residential [apartments, other dwellings]: food scraps, vegetable peels, food packaging, cans,
bottles, glass, plastics, newspapers, clothing

Commercial establishments [stores, office buildings, restaurants]: Paper and cardboard, glass,
plastics, packaging waste, organic waste, yard waste, hazardous waste and bulky waste

Industrial [manufacturing units, treatment plants, factories]: process waste, ash, demolition and
construction waste, smoke

Agricultural sources [fields, orchards, vineyards, farms]: Wastes resulting from activities such as
planting and harvesting crops, prod of milk, slaughter of animals, and feedlot operations.

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NEED FOR DISPOSAL SOLID WASTE

Proper waste disposal is critical due to that certain of waste can be hazardous and can
contaminate the environment if not handled properly.These types of waste also have the potential
to cause disease or get into water supplies. There are rules and regulations in place for how
specific types of waste should be disposed of. Following them allows for toxic waste to be safely
discarded without risk of environmental contamination

Proper waste disposal and environmental health

Hazardous wastes that are not properly disposed of can leak and contaminate soil and water,
which can lead to issues with both environmental and human health. Burning the wrong types off
wastes can release gases into the atmosphere. When waste is properly discarded, special liners
are used to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking out and precautions are taken so that any
methane related to burning trash is safely contained.

Proper waste disposal and public health

When waste is disposed of properly, it helps to prevent additional pollution which can improve
public health. Polluted air increases the risk of respiratory illness. Waste is properly disposed of
has lesser chance of getting into the water supply and causing illness in the 1980s, there was an
incident in New Jersy in whuch unregulated dumping led to a chromium epidemic in a local
school.

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 METHODS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
o Open burning

o Dumping into the sea

o Sanitary Landfills

o Incineration

o Composting

o Ploughing in fields

o Hog feeding

o Grinding and discharging into sewers

o Salvaging

o Fermentation and biological digestion

Open Burning of solid wastes

Not an ideal method in the present day context

Dumping into sea

o Possible only in coastal cities

o Refuse shall be taken in barges sufficiently far away from the coast (15-30 km) and dumped
there

o Very costly

o Not environment friendly

Sanitary landfilling of soild wastes.

o Simple, cheap, and effective

o A deep trench (3 to 5 m) is excavated

o Refuse is laid in layers

o Layers are compacted with some mechanical equipment and covered with earth, leveled, and
compacted

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o With time, the fill would settle

o Microorganisms act on the organic matter and degrade them

o Decomposition is similar to that in composting

o Facultative bacteria hydrolyze complex organic matter into simpler water soluble organics

o These diffuse through the soil where fungi and other bacteria convert them to carbon dioxide and
water under aerobic conditions

o Aerobic methanogenic bacteria utilize the methane generated and the rest diffuses into the
atmosphere

o Too much refuse shall not be buried – fire hazard

o Moisture content – not less than 60% for good biodegradation

o Refuse depth more than 3m – danger of combustion due to compression of bottom layers – hence
should be avoided

o Refuse depth is generally limited to 2m

o Temperature in the initial stages of decomposition – as high as 70 degree C – then drops

o Reclaimed areas may be used for other uses

Engineered Landfills of Solid Wastes
o Bottom of the trench is lined with impervious material to prevent the leachate from
contaminating groundwater

o A well designed and laid out leachate collection mechanism is to be provided

o Leachate so collected is treated and then disposed off

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Figure: A Typical Sanitary Landfill for Solid Waste

Figure: A Typical Sanitary Landfill

Components of a Typical Landfill

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 Incineration of Solid Waste
o A method suited for combustible refuse

o Refuse is burnt

o Suited in crowded cities where sites for land filling are not available

o High construction and operation costs

o Sometimes used to reduce the volume of solid wastes for land filling

o Primary chamber – designed to facilitate rapid desiccation of moist refuse and complete
combustion of refuse and volatile gases

o A ledge or drying hearth is provided for this purpose

o Secondary chamber – between the primary chamber and the stack – temperatures above 700
degree C

o All unburnt and semi burnt material are completely burnt here
Waste to Energy Combustors
o Incinerators – Refuse was burned without recovering energy – exhaust gas is very hot – exceeds
the acceptable inlet temperature for electrostatic precipitators used for particulate emission
control

o Modern combustors – combine solid waste combustion with energy recovery

Combustors for Solid Waste
o Storage pit – for storing and sorting incoming refuse

o Crane – for charging the combustion box

o Combustion chamber consisting of bottom grates on which combustion occurs

o Grates on which refuse moves

o Heat recovery system of pipes in which water is turned to steam

o Ash handling systems

o Air pollution control systems

o Grates – Provide turbulence so that the MSW can be thoroughly burned, moves the refuse down,
provides under fire air to the refuse through openings in it (to assist in combustion as well as to
cool the grates)

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o Operating temperature of combustors ~ 980 to 1090 degree C

Figure: A typical MSW Combustor

Composting
o Similar to sanitary landfilling

o Yields a stable end product – good soil conditioner and may be used as a base for fertilizers

o Popular in developing countries

o Decomposable organic matter is separated and composted

Methods of Composting
1. Open window composting

2. Mechanical composting
Open window composting
o Refuse is placed in piles, about 1.5m high and 2.5m wide at about 60% moisture content

o Heat build up in the refuse piles due to biological activity – temperature rises to about 70 degree
C

o Pile is turned up for cooling and aeration to avoid anaerobic conditions

o Moisture content is adjusted to about 60%

o Piled again – temperature rises to about 70 degree C

o The above operations are repeated

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o After a few days (~ 7 to 10 weeks) temperature drops to atmospheric temperature – indication of
stabilization of compost
Mechanical composting
o Process of stabilization is expedited by mechanical devices of turning the compost

o Compost is stabilized in about 1 to 2 weeks

o To enrich compost – night soil, cow dung etc. are added to the refuse

o Usually done in compost pits

o Arrangements for draining of excess moisture are provided at the base of the pit

o At the bottom of the pit, a layer of ash, ground limestone, or loamy soil is placed – to neutralize
acidity in the compost material and providing an alkaline medium for microorganisms

o The pit is filled by alternate layers of refuse (laid in layers of depth 30 – 40 cm) and night soil or
cow dung (laid over it in a thin layer)

o Material is turned every 5 days or so

o After ~ 30 days – it is ready for use

Methods used in India

Indore method – aerobic – brick pits 3 x 3 x 1 m – up to 8-12 weeks materials are turned
regularly in the pits and then kept on ground for about 4-6 weeks – 6 to 8 turnings in total

Bangalore method – anaerobic – earthen trenches 10 x 1.5 x 1.5 m – left for decomposition –
takes 4 to 5 months

Vermicomposting
o Ideal for biodegradable wastes from kitchens, hotels etc.

o At household level, a vessel or tray more than 45 cm deep, and 1 x 0.60m may be sufficient

o A hole shall be provided at one end in the bottom for draining the leachate out into a tray or
vessel

o Lay a 1” thick layer of baby metal or gravel at the bottom of the tray

o Above that lay an old gunny bag or a piece of thick cloth, a layer of coconut husk upside down
over it and above that a 2” thick layer of dry leaves and dry cow dung (powdered)

o Lay the biodegradable waste over it

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o Introduce good quality earthworms into it (~ 10 g for 0.6 x 0.45 x 0.45 m box)

o If the waste is dry, sprinkle water over it daily

o Rainwater should not fall into the tray or vessel or box

o Keep it closed

o If the box is kept under bright sun earthworms will go down and compost can be taken from the
top

o Compost can be dried and stored

o Continue putting waste into the box

o Add little cow dung at intervals

o Do not use vermin wash directly. Dilute in the ratio 1:10 before use
Disposal by Ploughing into fields
o Not very commonly used

o Not environment friendly in general

Disposal by hog feeding
o Not common in India

o Refuse is ground well in grinders and then fed into sewers

o Disposal of garbage into sewers – BOD and TSS increases by 20-30%

o Disposal of residual refuse – still a problem

Salvaging
o Materials like paper, metal, glass, rags, certain types of plastic etc. can be salvaged, recycled, and
reused
Fermentation or Biological Digestion
o Biodegradable Waste – convert to compost

o Recycle whatever is possible

o Hazardous wastes – dispose it by suitable methods

o Landfill or incinerate the rest

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CONCULSION

When done right, waste disposal can also conserve energy and reduce dangerous deforestation
including cutting down less trees for paper production. Recycling allows discarded waste to be
reused and remade into quality papers, rather than killing trees and harming the environment.

By using the above disposal methods we can achieve the following objectives,

 Reduction in environmental pollution,

 Reduction in production of toxic gases,
 The treated solid waste can be used as manure,
 Reduction of pollution of ground water from the effect of leachate,
 The conserved energy products can be used as reusable products.

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