Waste Management: Research Advances to Convert Waste to Wealth (Waste and Waste Management)

281 Pages·2010·6.54 MB·English

by  A. K. Haghi

WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT: RESEARCH
ADVANCES TO CONVERT WASTE
TO WEALTH
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WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

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WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT: RESEARCH
ADVANCES TO CONVERT WASTE
TO WEALTH

A. K. HAGHI
EDITOR

Nova
Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
New York
Copyright © 2010 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-61668-903-2 (eBook)

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Published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. < New York
CONTENTS

Preface vii
Chapter 1 Converting Waste to Energy via Thermal, Biological
and Mechanical Processing in Developing Western Settings:
An Analysis Based on Cases from England, Greece
and the United States 1
Avraam Karagiannidis, Nicolas Themelis, John Barton,
Stratos Kalogirou, Petros Samaras and Asterios Papageorgiou
Chapter 2 Municipal Solid Waste: Character and Composition 33
Libuše Benešová, Markéta Doležalová, Petra Hnaťuková
and Bohumil Černík
Chapter 3 Waste Biomass Supply Chains for Energy Production:
A Hierarchical Decision-Making Framework 81
E. Iakov, D. Vlachos and A. Toka
Chapter 4 Waste Picking at Landfills: A Source of Livelihood or Interference
with Waste Disposal Processes? 121
Benjamin Bolaane
Chapter 5 Simultaneous Solution for Solid Waste Management and Waste
Water Treatment: Cr(VI) Removal as a Case Study 137
Suresh Gupta and B. V. Babu
Chapter 6 Can Waste-to-Energy of as-Received or Pre-Processed (RDF/SRF)
Municipal Solid Wastes Support the Electricity Generation Sector?
EU Experience and a Case Study with Two Different Senarios
for Greece 161
C. S. Psomopoulos
Chapter 7 The Use of Industrial Waste for the Production of New
Blended Cement 191
M. C. Bignozzi
Chapter 8 Olive Mill Wastewater: Treatments and Valorisation 203
Manuela Taccari and Maurizio Ciani
vi Contents
Chapter 9 Methodological Approaches for Assessing Human Health Risks of
Waste Management Plants. Experiences from Catalonia (Spain) 223
Martí Nadal and José L. Domingo
Index 235
PREFACE

Waste has always been associated with human activity and is a necessary evil in any
developmental process. Today, the sheer quantity and diversity of wastes generated by
industries and municipalities pose serious risks to both human health and the environment. It
is imperative therefore to create awareness among entrepreneurs, manufacturers, local
authorities etc. of the varied technologies evolved to treat and recycle wastes and convert it to
wealth.
The arbitrary exploitation of natural resources and ignorance of the deleterious effects
have resulted in the alarming increase of environmental pollution alongside the urbanization,
industrialization and changing agricultural practices. Contrary to popular belief, the
environmental pollution particularly in the developing countries, is not as much caused by
industrial emissions or nuclear wastes as is caused by day-to-day living of human beings
because industrial pollution is concentrated in certain towns and cities and can be ordered to
close but no such measure can be taken for the sudden prohibition of human-derived pollution
occurring at all places. The resulting solid waste, sewage and night soil pose the most
daunting and widespread of all environmental problems. The disposal of the incessant piling
of such waste requires proper Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
The present book is an attempt to put together the various options available to meet the
twin goals of environmental conservation and sustainable development. The main aim of this
new book is to bring to light the various ways of converting waste to wealth. The text
throughout the book is supplemented with diagrams and tables which would facilitate quick
grasping of the concepts. The book is of reference value and is intended for practicing
engineers, entrepreneurs, consultants, financial institutions, researchers, and voluntary
agencies. Besides, it will prove equally useful to environmentalist, development practitioners,
and waste management experts.

Professor A. K. HAGHI
Montréal, CANADA
In: Waste Management: Research Advances… ISBN: 978-1-61668-414-3
Editor: A. K. Haghi pp. 1-32 © 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 1

CONVERTING WASTE TO ENERGY VIA THERMAL,
BIOLOGICAL AND MECHANICAL PROCESSING IN
DEVELOPING WESTERN SETTINGS:
AN ANALYSIS BASED ON CASES FROM ENGLAND,
GREECE AND THE UNITED STATES

Avraam Karagiannidis, Nicolas Themelis,

John Barton, Stratos Kalogirou, Petros Samaras
and Asterios Papageorgiou

1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is a significant contributor of Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) emissions and especially the disposal of waste in landfills generates methane
(CH4) that has high global warming potential. Waste management activities and especially
disposal of waste in landfills contribute to global GHG emissions approximately by 4%
(Bogner et al, 2007). The most common methods used for MSW, beside landfilling, include
composting, recycling, mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) and waste-to-energy (WTE).
The European waste policy force diversion from landfill and WTE is a waste management
option that could provide diversion from landfill and at the same time save a significant
amount of GHG emissions, since it recovers energy from waste which usually replaces an
equivalent amount of energy generated from fossil fuels. However, disposal of MSW in
sanitary landfills is still the main waste management method in many countries, both in the
EU and internationally, although diversion from landfilling is generally promoted and the
perspectives of new waste treatment technologies also evaluated. Thus, there are quite a few
‘developed’ countries which are really still in a developing stage in terms of sustainable
MSW management and the balanced integration of WTE in their overall system. The
following sections address 3 such cases from England, Greece and the US.
First, in section 2, a recent study is presented which assessed the GHG emission impacts
of three technologies that could be used for the treatment of MSW in order to recover energy
from it in the UK. These are Mass-Burn Incineration (MBI) with energy recovery, MBT via