Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60

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Waste Management
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Effects of adding bulking agents on biostabilization and drying of

municipal solid waste
Jing Yuan a, Difang Zhang a, Yun Li a, David Chadwick b, Guoxue Li a,⇑, Yu Li a, Longlong Du a
a
College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
b
Bangor University, Deiniol Rd., Bangor, United Kingdom

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The influence of adding a bulking agent on the bio-stabilization and drying of municipal solid waste
Received 18 September 2016 (MSW) was investigated. Three treatments were considered: the addition of either cornstalks or wood
Revised 16 February 2017 peat to MSW as a bulking agent before bio-drying and a control treatment that contained no bulking
Accepted 24 February 2017
agent. Addition of bulking agents to MSW produced less leachate, higher moisture-removal rates, and
Available online 6 March 2017
consumed less volatile solids. Bulking with cornstalks achieved the highest water-removal rate
(0.58–0.65 kg kg
1). The extent of organic degradation was related to temperature integration during
Keywords:
bio-drying. Lipids and cellulose were the main components of organic losses in all treatments and adding
Bio-drying
Municipal solid waste
a bulking agent changed the sequence and extent of degradation of biochemical components. The
Bulking agents bio-drying index values were 1.75, 3.18, and 2.64 for MSW alone, MSW with cornstalks, and MSW with
Water removal wood peat, respectively. Evaporation heat was the main component of heat consumption, accounting for
Energy utilization 58.1–60.7% of the total energy consumption.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction waste volume, as well as contributing to sanitation and energy

In recent years, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW)
has increased considerably with accelerating urbanization in
China. Regulations and policies are important tools for MSW man-
agement. In China, national policies have addressed waste reduc-
tion, recycling, and recovery; for example, the specific policies to
‘‘actively promote incineration, sanitary landfill, and other compre-
hensive utilization (biological treatment and cement kiln coordina-
tion technology) of MSW”, and to ‘‘establish waste separation and
collection systems and continuously improve renewable resource
recycling systems” (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural
Development of the People’s Republic of China, 2010). The National
Twelfth Five-Year Plan established a target proportion of safe MSW
disposal of 80%, which was to be reached by 2015, and all Chinese
counties possess the capacity for this level of safe MSW disposal
(The State Council, 2011).
Recent MSW management strategies advocate materials recy-
cling, energy recovery, reduction, and stabilization of MSW before
landfill disposal (Adani et al., 2002; Stan et al., 2014; Ionescu et al.,
2015; Coventry et al., 2016). Combustion is an effective MSW treat-
ment option that stabilizes waste and maximizes the reduction of
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ligx@cau.edu.cn (G. Li).
recovery (Liu and Liu, 2005). However, MSW in many developing
countries (such as China) is typically characterized by high water
content (as high as 75%) because of the relatively high proportion
of food waste (>60%) (He et al., 2005; Norbu et al., 2005;
Münnich et al., 2006). This high water content lowers the recovery
of recoverable material and increases the operating cost of com-
bustion. Landfills are the main MSW disposal method in China;
they occupy large amounts of land and produce high levels of sec-
ondary pollutants, including leachate, greenhouse gases, and odors
(Li et al., 2004). Use of thermal drying enables a product with high
solid content to be rapidly obtained; however, in most cases, this
technique is neither cost-effective nor environmentally friendly
because a nonrenewable energy resource is consumed.
To comply with legislation and manage waste as a resource, a
strategic hierarchy is proposed that includes prevention, reuse or
recycling, recovery in the form of energy, and disposal by landfill-
ing. The number of incinerators almost doubled from 2006 (71) to
2014 (138) in China (China Statistical Yearbook). In most cases,
MSW is incinerated in incinerators without pre-treatment in China
because the calorific value of MSW is not suitable for a direct com-
bustion because of its high humidity. A large amount of petroleum
and coal are typically added to support combustion. Bio-drying is
composting process that has a good potential as a pre-treatment
of MSW especially with high concentration of organic waste. The

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.02.027
0956-053X/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60 53

bio-drying process was proposed for the first time as a pre- addition of a bulking agent can really improve bio-drying perfor-
treatment before landfilling in the 1990s. Presently this process mance for MSW with a high initial water content. This study inves-
is gaining traction in Europe, spreading from Germany and Italy tigated the bio-drying performance of two different bulking agents
and extending its presence in Great Britain and Spain and getting (relative to a control with no bulking agent) and assessed their
attention in the recent EU countries like Greece. Its success is lar- impacts on water losses and organic degradation in MSW. In addi-
gely because the process of bio-drying is considered to be a good tion, the contributions of degradation of biochemical components
solution for MSW management, allowing the production of to total organic losses and heat generation and utilization during
refuse-derived fuel. bio-drying were calculated.
Over recent years, the biological pretreatment of MSW is
becoming an increasingly applied process, either before landfilling
2. Materials and methods
or prior to combustion (Norbu et al., 2005; Nguyen et al., 2007;
Rada et al., 2007, 2009a; Ragazzi et al., 2007; Białowiec et al.,
2.1. Materials and experimental setup
2008; Mahar et al., 2009; Dziedzic et al., 2015). Composting and
other bio-stabilization processes result in complete degradation
The MSW feedstock was collected from a sorting collection sys-
of easily degradable volatile solids. Microbial metabolism in the
tem at the Majialou MSW transfer station in Beijing, China. The
bio-drying process is similar to that for composting; however,
MSW consisted of, by wet mass, 63.46% kitchen waste, 23.93%
the former is aimed towards water removal, while the latter
paper, 5.03% plastics, and 7.58% other materials. Cornstalks were
focuses on the bio-stabilization and maturity of composted mate-
obtained from a research station at the China Agricultural
rials (Sugni et al., 2005; Bezama et al., 2007; Rada et al., 2007).
University. They were passed through a cutting mill to produce
Bio-drying technology, aimed towards removing water by micro-
pieces with sizes of 1–5 cm. Wood peat was obtained from
bial activity, is regarded as a good solution for reducing the water
Indonesia and was provided by Sino-View International Co. Ltd.
content of wet organic wastes (Choi et al., 2001; Zhang et al.,
(Beijing, China). The properties of the raw materials are shown in
2009a; He et al., 2010; Rada et al., 2012; Cioranu and Badea,
Table 1.
2013; Rada and Ragazzi, 2015; Tom et al., 2016). Besides having
The trials were performed in laboratory column reactors (60 L
a high water-removal rate, this approach is expected to constrain
in volume, 0.6 m high, 0.36 m inner diameter), made of stainless
organic degradation, thereby preserving energy for subsequent uti-
steel (Fig. 1). Each vessel was insulated with two layers of stainless
lization, e.g., as residue-derived fuels (Adani et al., 2002).
steel to minimize heat loss. A stainless steel cap was fitted on the
It is always necessary to add a bulking agent to modify the
top of each reactor to facilitate its filling and emptying. A 3-mm
properties of MSW during composting or bio-drying because of
stainless steel grid was installed at the bottom of each reactor to
its high moisture content and low C/N ratio.
support the composting bed and to ensure that the added gases
Cornstalks are common and economical waste materials in
were uniformly distributed. Two holes in the bottom of each reac-
most areas of China and have been demonstrated to be a good
tor allowed the reactor to be aerated (the aeration gas was added
composting bulking agent in many studies (Yang et al., 2013;
using a controllable aquarium pump) and the leachate to drain
Zhang et al., 2013). Wood peat is rich in carbon, mainly in the form
away. There were three sampling locations with plugs, each 5 cm
of lignins, and has a high density and low moisture content. In con-
in diameter, at different heights (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m) from the bot-
trast, cornstalks contain large amounts of cellulose and hemicellu-
tom. Two holes in the lid of each vessel allowed a temperature sen-
lose. Few studies have focused on the effects of wood peat as an
sor to be inserted and the gas within the vessel to be sampled. An
additive in composting or bio-drying.
exhaust port (50 mm inner diameter) in the lid of each vessel was
Bio-drying research has, to date, focused mainly on sewage
connected to a condenser using plastic piping. A jar at the bottom
sludge (Xu et al., 2011; Zhao et al., 2011; Cai et al., 2013). Most
of the condenser enabled collection of condensed water. This
studies of MSW bio-drying have been reported by Zhang et al.
experimental setup has been used in previous studies (Guo et al.,
(2008, 2011). They found that inoculation of products from bio-
2012; Shen et al., 2011).
drying accelerated biodegradation and lowered the final water
Three bio-drying trials were conducted. The control treatment,
content (Zhang et al., 2009b). In an earlier study, they indicated
labeled MSW in this paper, comprised 100% MSW without addition
that when a hydrolytic stage was supplemented prior to aerobic
of any bulking agent and the other two treatments contained 10%
degradation, more water could be released in the form of leachate,
(by wet mass) of one of the bulking agents (cornstalks (CS) or wood
along with hydrolysis or disintegration of volatile solids (Zhang
peat (WP) and 90% MSW.
et al., 2008). Production of leachate is, however, prone to causing
Each bio-drying trial operated for 21 days and a forced-draft
secondary environmental pollution and it is very expensive to
aeration system was used. All of the systems were continuously
use physical and chemical processes to treat leachate (Rasool
aerated at a rate of 0.3 L kg
1 min
1 (the mass of material being
et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2016). This differs from combined hydro-
determined on a dry basis). The wastes fed to all of the trials were
lytic–aerobic processes in that adding bulking agent can improve
manually turned every 3 days. The temperature in each vessel was
the size and number of inter-particle voids in a pile of bio-drying
recorded using the C-LGX program (Scan-2000x, Hongyuanpengao,
waste, increase air permeability, and decrease (or avoid com-
China).
pletely) the amount of leachate produced (Yang et al., 2013;
Yuan et al., 2015). Furthermore, adding an organic bulking agent
that is rich in carbon to MSW bio-drying could provide a carbon 2.2. Sample collection and analytical methods
resource and improve the calorific value of the final bio-drying pro-
duct (Rada et al., 2009b). The O2 and CO2 contents were monitored daily using a portable
To date, most studies of MSW bio-drying have focused on water biogas analyzer (BIOGAS-5000, Geotech, UK). Leachate and con-
removal, organic degradation, and calorific value (Adani et al., densate water were collected and weighed every day, recording
2002; Sugni et al., 2005; Rada et al., 2006, 2012; Tambone et al., the mass of the vessels at the same time. A sample (of about
2011; Viganò et al., 2011; Bilgin and Tulun, 2015). However, few 200 g) of the solid material was taken from each vessel at the
studies have focused on the water-removal capacity, organic beginning and end of the composting process, and after each turn-
degradation by biochemical components, the bio-drying index, or ing procedure had been performed. Each sample was divided into
heat utilization of bio-drying systems. It remains unclear whether two parts. One part was stored at 4 °C and the other was
54 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60

Table 1
Physical and chemical characteristics of raw materials.

Materials MSW Cornstalks Wood peat Mixes of MSW and cornstalks Mixes of MSW and wood peat
a
Moisture (%) 72.47 ± 0.26 7.43 ± 0.11 13.19 ± 0.23 61.39 ± 2.26 69.33 ± 0.53
Bulk density (kg m
3)a 694 ± 25.46 162 ± 8.73 814 ± 6.91 486 ± 17.13 696 ± 9.45
TC (%)b 38.63 ± 0.66 41.72 ± 0.10 52.14 ± 0.18 40.49 ± 0.36 43.73 ± 0.41
TN (%)b 1.57 ± 0.05 1.21 ± 0.01 0.65 ± 0.01 1.42 ± 0.01 1.44 ± 0.07
C/N 24.6 34.59 80.34 28.51 30.37
Volatile solids (VS) (%)b 70.41 ± 1.57 91.3 ± 0.38 94.7 ± 0.10 78.41 ± 0.36 79.65 ± 0.70
Amylums (%)b 10.86 ± 0.43 3.45 ± 0.04 0.27 ± 0.02 5.37 ± 0.12 3.79 ± 0.09
Lipids (%)b 13.31 ± 0.34 10.89 ± 0.29 14.40 ± 0.21 12.29 ± 0.15 14.19 ± 0.27
Proteins (%)b 9.10 ± 0.17 7.21 ± 0.14 3.55 ± 0.09 8.48 ± 0.10 8.55 ± 0.23
Cellulose (%)b 13.58 ± 0.37 30.59 ± 1.31 0.00 21.83 ± 0.43 12.3 ± 0.18
Hemicellulose (%)b 3.65 ± 0.18 20.20 ± 0.35 0.00 10.23 ± 0.28 3.25 ± 0.13
Lignins (%)b 18.51 ± 0.71 19.39 ± 0.19 72.36 ± 0.92 20.56 ± 0.11 32.48 ± 0.43

TN: total nitrogen; TC: total carbon.

a
Wet weight basis.
b
Dry weight basis.

Fig. 1. Diagram of the bio-drying reactor. 1. Lattice cell; 2. Gas flowmeter; 3. Jar for condensate water collecting; 4. Air pump; 5. Automatic control system of ventilation; 6.
Condenser pipe; 7. Refrigerator; 8. Gas outlet sampling; 9. Automatic control system; 10. Heat insulating layer; 11. Temperature sensor; 12. Solid sampling port; 13. Bio-
drying sampling pots; 14. Leachate sampling port.

air-dried and ground to pass through a 1 mm sieve. The wet sam- 2.3. Heat balance
ples were analyzed in triplicate for moisture content. The dried and
ground samples were analyzed in triplicate for total nitrogen (TN), Theoretical calculation of the thermal balance was based on the
total carbon (TC), and volatile solids (VS) contents and for bio- following equations, which include the biologically generated heat
chemical composition (amylums, proteins, lipids, cellulose, hemi- and the heat loss in the bio-drying system (Maria et al., 2008;
cellulose, and lignins). Zambra et al., 2011).
The moisture content of the wastes was determined at 105 °C Biologically generated heat (kJ) is defined by:
for 48 h. The VS content was analyzed at 550 °C to constant mass.
Q bio ¼ DVS  Hc ¼ BVS  Hc ; ð1Þ
The determination of celluloses, hemicelluloses, and lignins was
based on the measurement of neutral detergent fiber, acid deter- where BVS is the biodegradable volatile solids and Hc is the heat of
gent fiber, and ash content of the samples (Goering and van combustion, calculated as 23.2 MJ kg
1 BVS (Haug, 1993).
Soest, 1970). For the measurement of amylums, the air-dried solid Heat consumed by aeration (kJ) and evaporated water (kJ) are
sample was first digested by ether, ethanol, and boiled HCl solution respectively given by:
(6 mol/L) in sequence, and then titrated with alkaline copper tar- Q dryair ¼ M air C dryair ðT m
T a Þ; ð2Þ
trate (Horwitz, 2005). The lipid concentration was determined
gravimetrically after Soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether
Q watvap ¼ Mair xC watvap ðT m
T a Þ; ð3Þ
(Nielsen, 2002). The protein content was determined based on
Kjeldahl nitrogen (KN). The measured KN value was multiplied
Q evap ¼ M eva Llatwat ; ð4Þ
by 6.25 to give the protein content (APHA, 1998). The TN and TC
contents were determined using a Vario MACRO cube elemental where Qdryair and Qwatvap are the consumed sensible heats of inlet
analyzer (Elementar Analysensysteme, Hanau, Germany). dry air and water vapor, respectively, for the temperature increase
 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60
(kJ); Qevap is the latent heat of removed water (kJ); Mair is the mass
of dry air (kg); Cdryair and Cwatvap are the specific heats of dry air
(1.004 kJ kg
1 °C
1) and water vapor (1.841 kg
1 °C
1), respec-
tively; Tm and Ta are the matrix and ambient temperatures (°C),
respectively; x is the mass of water vapor on a dry air basis
(kg H2O kg
1 dry air); Meva is the evaporated water (kg); and Llatwat
is the latent heat of water evaporation (kJ kg kg
1 °C
1).
Heat consumed by the temperature increase of the feedstock
(kJ) is given by:
Q water ¼ M water C water DT m ;
Q solid ¼ Msolid C solid DT m ;
where Qwater and Qsolid are the consumed sensible heats of water in
the feedstock and dry solid, respectively, for the temperature
increase (kJ); DTm is the change of matrix temperature in a time ele-
ment; Mwater and Msolid are the masses of water and dry solid in the
materials, respectively (kg); Cwater and Csolid are the specific heats of
water (4.184 kJ kg
1°C
1) and dry solid (1.046 kJ kg
1°C
1),
respectively.
Heat consumed by conductive transfer and radiation (kJ) are
defined as:
Q cond ¼ UAðT m
T a Þ;
Q rad ¼ rAtop ðT 4t
T a ÞF a F e ;
where Qcond is the conductive heat loss from the reactor wall (kJ);
Qrad is the radiant heat loss from the top surface of the materials
(kJ); U is the coefficient of heat transmittance (0.5  10
4 kJ d
1
m
2 °C
1) of the wall; A is the reactor wall surface (m2); r is the
Stefan-Boltzmann constant (5.67  10
11 kJ s
1 m
2 K
4) (Ahn
et al., 2007); Atop is the surface area of radiating body (m2); Tt is
the temperature of the top surface (°C); Fa is a configuration factor
to account for the relative position and geometry of the objects (0.5,
dimensionless) (Ahn et al., 2007); Fe is the emissivity factor used to
account for non-black body radiation (0.85, dimensionless) (Ahn
et al., 2007).
Heat consumed by turning of the pile (kJ) is given by:
Q turn ¼ Mwater C water ðT m
T a Þ þ M solid C solid ðT m
T a Þ:
Qturn was evaluated assuming that the matrix temperature
decreased to ambient temperature.
The mass of water vapor on a dry air basis, x (kg H2O kg
1
dry air), was calculated using the procedure given by Haug (1993):

 
a
pvs ¼ 10 þb ;
Tþc
where pvs is the saturated vapor pressure (mm Hg); a, b, c are
empirical constants in the Antoine expression, with values of
2238, 8.896, and 273, respectively (Mason, 2009):
pv ¼ pvs RH;
where pv is the vapor pressure (mm Hg); RH is the relative humidity
(%); and finally



MWH2O pv
x¼  ;
MWair p
pv
where MWH2O and MWair are the molar masses of water and air
(g mol
1), respectively, and P is atmospheric pressure (mm Hg).
The latent heat of water evaporation at different temperatures
was computed from the following expression (Haug, 1993;
Mason, 2009):


T þ 32 1055
Llatwat ¼ 1093:7
0:5683  9  : ð13Þ
5 454
55
The heat loss by turning (Qturn) was included with that con-
sumed by the feedstock temperature increase (Qwater and Qsolid).
The entire amount of heat transferred can be written as Eq. (14),
based on a heat balance of the bio-drying system (Maria et al.,
2008):
Q bio ¼ Q dryair þ Q watvap þ Q water þ Q solid þ Q evap þ Q cond þ Q rad :
ð14Þ
ð5Þ 2.4. Statistical analysis
ð6Þ The mean values and standard deviations of three replicates of
each treatment are reported. The data were analyzed using a one-
way analysis of variance. The least-significant difference test was
used to determine the significance of differences between mean
values. The SAS 8.2 for Windows software (SAS Institute, Cary,
NC, USA) was used for all statistical analyses.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Evolution of O2 concentration and temperature during bio-drying
ð7Þ The temporal evolution of the O2 concentration in the free space
of the columns before ventilation is shown in Fig. 2. The O2 content
ð8Þ decreased rapidly during the first five days of the bio-drying pro-
cess in all treatments and slowly fluctuating and increasing trends
were observed thereafter. After the first four days, the CS treatment
had the lowest average O2 content of 17.1%, and the MSW treat-
ment had the highest average O2 content of 18.3%. The O2 contents
of the three treatments reached their lowest values on Day 13
(10.7%), Day 5 (12%) and Day 7 (8.8%) for the MSW, CS and WP
treatments, respectively. The CS treatment started decomposition
of the volatile solids earlier, probably because the cornstalks
decreased the moisture content of the MSW, increasing the free
air pore volume in the feedstock, which would have been con-
ducive to the decomposition of volatile solids. Similar results were
reported by Zhang et al. (2013) and Yuan et al. (2015) during com-
posting of kitchen waste. After 15 d bio-drying, the O2 contents of
ð9Þ all treatments had increased and the average values (Days 15–21)
were 17.0%, 19.1%, and 17.1% for the MSW, CS and WP treatments,
respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant
differences between the O2 contents for the three treatments
(p < 0.001).
ð10Þ
ð11Þ
Oxygen (%)
ð12Þ
MSW
CS
WP
time (d)
Fig. 2. Changes in O2 concentration during bio-drying (MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10%
cornstalks added; WP = 10% wood peat added).
56 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60

Temperature was the crucial factor affecting organic degrada- Table 2

tion and water evaporation. The changes of daily temperature are
given in Fig. 3(a). To clearly indicate the temperature differences
between the treatments, the temperature integration (TI) index
was defined as the accumulated daily differences between the
waste and ambient temperatures, calculated as:
X
n
TI ¼ ðtwi
tei Þ;
i¼1
where twi (°C) is the average waste temperature and tei (°C) the
average environmental temperature on Day i.
Similar to the process for composting organic materials, the bio-
drying feedstock also went through three typical phases of degra-
dation: mesophilic, thermophilic, and curing phases. The MSW, CS,
and WP treatments reached their highest temperatures on Day 6
(72.4 °C), Day 8 (76.5 °C), and Day 10 (67 °C), respectively. Com-
pared with the MSW treatment, the CS and WP treatments short-
ened the time taken for the bio-drying pile to enter the
thermophilic phase (>50 °C) and they also had longer thermophilic
phases. This result is similar to that of Yang et al. (2013) in kitchen
waste composting, which indicated that adding bulking agent
could create the advantage of microbial activity and promote the
degradation of volatile solids.
The different temperatures for the treatments were assessed
using the TI value (Fig. 3(b)). The highest TI values were obtained
during Days 0–6 for the CS treatment, Days 6–15 for the WP treat-
ment, and from Day 15 onward for the MSW treatment. Addition of
bulking agents (CS and WP treatments) was conducive to decom-
position of volatile solids because the bulking agent decreased
the moisture content of the material, thereby increasing the free
air pore volume in the feedstocks. During all experiments, the CS
treatment had the highest TI value (the TI values of the three treat-
ments were 523.7, 603.5 and 578.4 °C d for the MSW, CS and WP
treatments, respectively). Statistical analysis showed that there
were significant differences between the TI values for the three
treatments (p < 0.001).
The water-removal capacity by ventilation was determined
P
using the FP index (Vaxelaire et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 2008),
which indicates the capacity of a system to carry water by ventila-
tion (Table 2). Similar to the TI results, the CS treatment gave the
P
highest FP values at Days 0–6, the WP treatment had the highest
P P
FP values at Days 7–15, while the highest FP values for the
MSW treatment occurred at Days 16–21. Overall, the CS treatment
P
had the highest FP value (the values of the three treatments were
1165.6, 1455.6 and 1293.2 m3 kPa for the MSW, CS and WP treat-
P
FP values at different stages of bio-drying treatments.
P a
Treatment FP (m3 kPa)
Days 0–6 Days 7–15 Days 16–21
MSW 202.9 812.5 150.2
CS 523.3 802.2 130.2
WP 185.0 1048.2 60.0
ð15Þ MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks, 90% MSW; WP = 10% wood peat, 90% MSW.
a P
FP indicates the product of the accumulation of airflow rate and saturated
vapor pressure of the ventilated air.
ments, respectively). Zhao et al. (2010) reported that water
P P
removal rate showed a similar profile to FP, and the FP index
was significantly positively correlated with temperature during
sewage sludge composting.
3.2. Water loss and moisture content
As shown in Fig. 4(a), losses of evaporated water showed a sim-
ilar trend to that of temperature, and most water losses occurred
during the thermophilic phase of all treatments. Losses of evapo-
rated water correlated positively with temperature (p = 0.026);
the correlation coefficients were 0.48, 0.67 and 0.55 for the
P
MSW, CS and WP treatments, respectively. The FP index was sig-
nificantly positively correlated with temperature for all treatments
(R = 0.71–0.75, p = 0.001).
Three methods were used to calculate the losses of evaporated
water (Table 3), all of which gave similar results. During the entire
bio-drying process, the CS treatment gave the highest evaporated
water-removal rate (0.58–0.65 kg kg
1), that for the WP treatment
was lower (0.40–0.47 kg kg
1), and the lowest values were found
for the MSW treatment (0.31–0.36 kg kg
1). Statistical analysis
showed that addition of bulking agents had a significant influence
on the moisture-removal rate (p = 0.004). There were no significant
differences between the CS and WP treatments (p = 0.439), but the
moisture-removal rates of both treatments were significantly
higher than that of the MSW treatment (p = 0.001 and p = 0.012).
Different bulking agents have largely been used to improve the
performance and maturity of waste composting. Guo et al. (2012)
found the initial C/N ratio mainly influenced the maturity of the
final compost compared with the factors of aeration rate and mois-
ture content. Therefore, the main aim of adding bulking agents
during composting was to adjust to an appropriate C/N. However,
bio-drying technology aiming at removing water mainly as vapor
by adequate ventilation combined with the high temperature

a b
MSW
)

CS
Temperature integration (

WP
Temperature ( )

MSW CS
WP ambient

time (d) time (d)

Fig. 3. Changes in temperature during bio-drying. (a) Daily temperature; (b) temperature integration (MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks added; WP = 10% wood peat
added).
 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60
a b
Moisture removal rate (kg·kg-1)
time (days)
Fig. 4. Evolution of (a) moisture-removal rate and (b) moisture content during bio-drying (MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks added; WP = 10% wood peat added).
Table 3
Water losses during bio-drying under different treatments.
Treatment Evaporated water loss (kg kg
1, in wet mass)
MSW CS
Days 0–6 0.06a;0.02b;0.04c 0.13;0.11;0.18
Days 7–15 0.2;0.19;0.16 0.38;0.39;0.37
Days 16–21 0.1;0.1;0.12 0.13;0.08;0.1
Days 0–end 0.36;0.31;0.32 0.64;0.58;0.65
MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks, 90% MSW; WP = 10% wood peat, 90% MSW.
a
Vapor water loss was calculated by the method of mass balance.
b
Vapor water loss was calculated by condensed water collection daily.
c
Vapor water loss was calculated by moisture content of feedstocks.
resulting from organics degradation (Sugni et al., 2005). Adding
bulking agents had a significant effect on water removal of bio-
drying through modifying moisture contents and free air pore
volume.
For all treatments, about 7–27% of evaporated water was lost in
the early stage (Days 0–6), 50–68% of evaporated water was lost in
the thermophilic phase (Days 7–15), and the remainder (14–37%)
was lost during Days 16–21. No leachate was produced by the CS
and WP treatments, whereas leachate was produced at a rate of
0.11 kg kg
1 by the MSW treatment. Of this leachate, 80% was pro-
duced in the early stage (Days 0–6). The moisture contents of the
MSW, CS, and WP treatments decreased by 12%, 36% and 30%,
respectively (Fig. 4(b)). The final moisture contents were 64.57%,
39.38% and 48.18%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that
addition of bulking agents had a significant influence on the mois-
ture content (p < 0.001).
3.3. Organic losses during bio-drying
The degradation of volatile solids is presented in Fig. 5(a). The
VS content decreased gradually throughout the bio-drying process;
the final VS contents were 52.4%, 61.1% and 63.7% for the MSW, CS
and WP treatments, respectively. The VS contents decreased by
25.6%, 22.1% and 20.1%, respectively. Addition of bulking agents
gave higher VS contents at the end of bio-drying process and lower
degradation of VS than the MSW treatment. The WP treatment
achieved the highest final VS content because the lignins content
of the added wood peat is higher than that of cornstalks and it is
therefore more difficult to degrade. Statistical analysis showed that
there was a significant difference in the VS contents for the three
treatments (p < 0.001). For all treatments, the VS contents were
significantly positively correlated with the moisture contents
(R = 0.931–0.967, p < 0.001) and significantly negatively correlated
57
Moisture content (%)
time (days)
Leachate (kg kg
1, in wet mass)
WP MSW CS WP
0.08;0.07;0.13 0.08 0 0.00
0.28;0.26;0.25 0.01 0 0.00
0.11;0.07;0.09 0.03 0 0.00
0.47;0.4;0.47 0.11 0 0.00
with the temperature integration indices (R =
0.962 to
0.991,
p < 0.001). These correlations indicated that the high temperature
was obtained as a result of the degradation of easily degradable
components.
Degradable components of organic waste contain amylums,
lipids, proteins, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignins. The contribu-
tion of the biochemical component degradation to total organic
losses is shown in Fig. 5(b). The loss of VS were mainly composed
of amylums (30.4%), lipids (21.9%) and cellulose (20.6%), reaching
72.8% of total VS loss for the MSW treatment. The CS treatment
increased the cellulose (21.83%) and hemicellulose (10.23%) con-
tents. As a result, cellulose (39.3%), lipids (16.4%) and hemicellu-
lose (14.8%) were the main biochemical degradation contributors
to VS loss. Although lignins is a recalcitrant VS, it is worth mention-
ing that the lignins contributed much more to VS loss in the WP
treatment than in the other two treatments. The main VS loss here
were from lipids (28.1%), cellulose (28.0%) and lignins (21.0%),
together representing 77.0% of the total VS loss. In general, lipids
and cellulose were the main components of VS loss in all treat-
ments; besides these, the main components were amylums, hemi-
cellulose, and lignins for the MSW, CS and WP treatments,
respectively.
Adding a bulking agent changed the sequence and extent of
degradation of the biochemical components. In relative terms,
the degradation of proteins was lower than that of other compo-
nents. Compared with the initial percentage composition, only
the protein content increased in all treatments (Table 4). This is
because the rate of protein degradation is lower than that of other
components. This also explains why the TN content increased and
the TC content decreased at the end of bio-drying. The CS and WP
treatments had higher TC and TN contents and lower moisture
content, indicating that the final products of bio-drying had a
higher calorific value.
58 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60

Fig. 5. (a) Evolution of volatile solids content during bio-drying and (b) contribution of biochemical component degradation to total organics losses (MSW = 100% MSW;
CS = 10% cornstalks added; WP = 10% wood peat added).

Table 4
Content of biochemical components before and after bio-drying.

Treatment Bio-drying time MSW CS WP

Amylumsa (%) Initial 10.86 5.37 3.79
Final 2.22 2.97 1.50
Lipidsa (%) Initial 13.31 12.29 14.19
Final 10.02 10.83 9.08
Proteinsa (%) Initial 9.10 8.48 8.55
Final 9.59 9.83 9.42
Cellulosea (%) Initial 13.58 21.83 12.30
Final 11.04 14.99 6.50
Hemicellulosea (%) Initial 3.65 10.23 3.25
Final 3.44 8.53 2.08
Ligninsa (%) Initial 18.51 20.56 32.48
Final 22.05 24.70 37.27
TCa (%) Initial 38.63 40.49 43.73
Final 26.99 32.23 35.48
TNa (%) Initial 1.57 1.42 1.44
Final 2.05 2.21 1.97

MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks, 90% MSW; WP = 10% wood peat, 90% MSW.
a
Dry weight basis.

3.4. Bio-drying index and heat balance
To achieve a low final moisture content and a high final calorific
value, the bio-drying process aimed to remove more water and
consume less VS. To provide an indication of performance, the
bio-drying index was defined (I) as the ratio of water lost to VS lost.
Here, water losses included only evaporated water losses (leachate
was not included). During the entire bio-drying process, the CS
treatment had the highest I value (3.18); the I values of the WP
and MSW treatments were 2.64 and 1.75, respectively (Table 5).
 J. Yuan et al. / Waste Management 62 (2017) 52–60 59

Table 5
P
Ratio of FP to temperature integration and bio-drying indices during bio-drying.

Trial Days 0–6 Days 7–15 Days 16–21 Days 0–end

a b
Ratio I Ratio I Ratio I Ratio I
MSW 1.74 0.74 2.63 1.82 1.54 2.24 2.23 1.75
CS 2.59 1.33 2.84 6.77 1.35 1.50 2.41 3.18
WP 1.30 0.72 2.63 4.62 0.90 2.44 2.24 2.64

MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks, 90% MSW; WP = 10% wood peat, 90% MSW.
a P
The calculation of temperature integration and FP is described in Section 3.1.
b OLt
The bio-drying index (I), defined as the ratio of water losses to organics losses, I is calculated by It ¼ WL t
, where It is I at time t; OLt (kg) the organics losses at time t; and
WLt (kg) the water losses at time t.

These results are similar to those of Zhang et al. (2008), although Table 6
these authors reported a slightly higher average I value of 3.4. Heat generation and utilization during bio-drying (kJ).
The higher ventilation flowrate in the earlier study is likely to be
Treatment MSW CS WP
responsible for the low organic losses, because previous research P
Q a 85,810 76,320 84,010
has shown that higher aeration rates give better water elimination P bio
Q 3110 (3.8%b) 3510 (4.7%) 2850 (3.5%)
and lower degradation rates. It should, however, be noted that P dryair
Q 1330 (1.6%) 1510 (2.0%) 1220 (1.5%)
P watvap
Zhang et al.’s calculation included leachate losses in the total water Q 4920 (6.03%) 5670 (7.6%) 6720 (8.2%)
P soild
losses, so this also contributed to a higher I value. Zhang et al. Q 12,220 (15.0%) 4280 (5.7%) 9560 (11.7%)
P water
Q 47,540 (58.2%) 45,310 (60.7%) 47,420 (58.1%)
(2008) used a hydrolytic stage prior to aerobic degradation to P evap
Q 12,510 (15.3%) 14,410 (19.3%) 13,810 (16.9%)
remove water, because this consumed less organics. However, P (cond+rad)
Q 81,640 (100%) 74,690 (100%) 81,590 (100%)
P Total consuming
the production of leachate can cause secondary pollution, reduce Qturnning 16,210 (16.2%) 11,000 (11.0%) 16,840 (16.8%)
environmental benefits, and it is very expensive to treat highly
MSW = 100% MSW; CS = 10% cornstalks, 90% MSW; WP = 10% wood peat, 90% MSW.
concentrated organic leachate. Adding a bulking agent (such as a
Calculated based on VS loss.
cornstalks or wood peat) is a good way to eliminate the production b
The percentage of heat loss in total consuming.
of leachate during the bio-drying process, as demonstrated in the
current study. The I value of the CS and WP treatments was signif-
icantly higher than that of the MSW treatment during the ther- the heat used for evaporation (Qevapo) accounted for 60.6–72.6%
mophilic phase (Days 7–15) (p < 0.001). There were no significant of the total energy consumption, and the sensible heat of materials
differences between the I values for all three treatments in the (Qwater and Qsolid) and inlet air due to temperature rise consumed
later period (Days 16–21) (p = 0.217). 15.6–34.4% and 4.66–11.4% of the total heat consumption respec-
The differences in I value of each treatment can be attributed to tively. In addition, Zhao et al. (2010) found that at a high airflow
P
TI, which drives evaporation, and FP, which determines the rate, sensible heat of air (Qdryair and Qwatvap) and heat for evapora-
capacity of the system for carrying vapor. In general, a higher I tion (Qevapo) was higher than that at a low airflow rate. Moreover,
value corresponded to a higher bio-drying index during different at high turning frequency, the sensible heat of materials (Qwater and
phases of the bio-drying process, but the value was lower than that Qsolid) and heat loss by turning (Qturning) was higher than that at
of 3.5–5.2 of Zhang et al. (2008). This may be attributed to the use low turning frequency.
of an inappropriate aeration rate in this current study in which the
aeration rate was insufficient to carry the vapor created by the 4. Conclusions
temperature generated. It is therefore suggested that the airflow
rate be optimized according to the temperature changes. This will Adding bulking agent produced higher TI values and water-
make full use of the evaporative conditions created by the temper- P
removal capacities for ventilation ( FP) compared with MSW
ature and provide an adequate capacity for carrying vapor. Zhang alone and the CS treatment achieved the best performance. The
et al. (2008) reported that a ratio of around 5.1 indicates that a VS contents decreased by 25.6%, 22.1%, and 20.1% for the MSW,
bio-drying process has proper ventilation and that heat generated CS and WP treatments, respectively. Lipids and cellulose were
from organic degradation is mainly used for evaporation. main components of organic losses in all treatments. Addition of
The bio-drying process aimed to make use of the energy from bulking agent produced higher TC and TN contents in the final pro-
MSW biomass degradation for water removal. The biologically gen- duct and lowered the final water content. Again, the CS treatment
erated heat (Qbio) was calculated based on the VS loss. The total achieved the highest water-removal rate (0.58–0.65 kg kg
1) and
amounts of generated heat were 85,810, 76,320 and 84,010 kJ for bio-drying index. Heat used for evaporation was the main source
the MSW, CS and WP treatments, respectively (Table 6). The heat of heat consumption.
consumptions included those of all of components given in Eq.
(14). The values of total consumed heat were a little lower than
Acknowledgements
those of total generated heat, at 81,640, 74,690 and 81,590 kJ,
respectively. The heat loss by turning (Qturn) was included with
This work was financially supported by the project of ‘‘State Key
that consumed by the feedstock temperature increase (Qwater and
Laboratory of Solid Waste Reuse for Building Materials” [grant
Qsolid). About 11–17% of consumed heat was lost by turning. For
number SWR-2014-005]; the National Natural Science Foundation
the CS treatment, Qturn was lower than that for the other two treat-
of China [grant number 41275161]; and the National Science and
ments, because the CS treatment had the lowest moisture. The heat
Technology Support Program [grant number 2012BAD14B01].
used for evaporation (Qevap) accounted for 58.1–60.7% of total
energy consumption. The sensible heat of inlet dry air for the tem-
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