Properties of Solid Waste

1
Introduction of Solid Waste

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What is Solid Waste?
Solid Wastes are all wastes arising from human and
animal activities that are normally solid.

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Five (5) Major Types of Solid Waste
Generally categorized under
1. Municipal Waste
2. Construction & Demolition Waste
3. Chemical Waste
4. Special Waste
5. Other waste

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1 Municipal Wastes (1)
i. Domestic solid waste
 It refers to household waste; waste generated from daily activities
in institutional premises and refuses collected from public
cleansing services.

 Public cleansing waste includes:

a. Dirt and liter collected by the Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department;
b. Marine refuse collected by the Marine Department: and
c. Waste from country parks collected by the Conservation,
Agriculture and Fisheries Department.

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1. Municipal Wastes (2)
ii. Commercial solid waste
 It is waste arising from commercial activities taking
place in markets, shops, restaurants, hotels, offices,
etc.

 It is collected mainly by private waste collectors.

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1. Municipal Wastes (3)
iii. Industrial solid waste
 It is waste arising from industrial activities and does
not include construction and demolition (C&D) waste
and chemical waste.

 It is usually collected by private waste collectors

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2. Construction & Demolition Waste
 Construction waste" means any substance, matter or thing which is
generated as a result of construction work and abandoned whether or
not it has been processed or stockpiled before being abandoned. It is a
mixture of surplus materials arising from site clearance, excavation,
construction, refurbishment, renovation, demolition and road works.
 Over 80% of construction waste are inert and are known as public fill.
Public fill includes debris, rubble, earth and concrete which is suitable
for land reclamation and site formation.

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3. Chemical Waste

 It can be any substance arising from any process or

trade activity which contains chemical in such form,
quantity or concentration that can cause pollution to
the environment or become a risk to health.

 It includes
i. Ignitable materials
ii. Corrosive substances
iii. Reactive substances
iv. Toxic materials

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4. Special Waste
 It includes abattoir waste, animal carcasses (dead
body), asbestos, clinical waste, condemned goods,
livestock waste, sewage works screenings and
stabilized residues from Chemical Waste
Treatment Centre.

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 5. Other Solid Waste
 It refers to solid waste
types not covered by
the above descriptions.

 These include coal ash,

dredged mud and
excavated material
disposal of at marine
dumping sites.

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Properties of Solid Wastes

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Moisture Content (1)
The wet-mass moisture content is given by
a −b
Moisture content (%) = ( a ) * 100%

where a = initial mass of sample as delivered

b = mass of sample after drying

The average moisture contents for domestic waste and

commercial & industrial waste were estimated to be 29% and
27% respectively.

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Moisture Content (2)
Estimate the moisture content of a solid waste sample with the
following:

Component Percentage by Moisture

Mass Content (%)
Putrescibles (Food Waste) 17 70
Paper 47 6
Cardboard 12 5
Plastics 12 2
Wood 6 20
Tin Cans 6 3
Σ 100
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Chemical Content (1)
 Main elements in solid wastes with energy values are:
i. C: Carbon,
ii. H: Hydrogen,
iii. O: Oxygen,
iv. N: Nitrogen,
v. S: Sulphur
vi. Ash.

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Chemical Content (2)
The main elements in solid wastes with energy values are:
Component Percentage by Mass (Dry Basis)
C H O N S Ash

Food Wastes 47.0 6.4 37.6 2.6 0.4 5.0

Paper 43.5 6.0 44 0.3 0.2 6.0

Cardboard 44.0 5.9 44.6 0.3 0.2 5.0

Plastics 60.0 7.2 22.8 - - 10.0

Textiles 55.0 6.6 31.2 4.6 0.15 2.5

Rubber 78.0 10.0 - 2.0 - 10.0

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Chemical Content (3)

The main elements in solid wastes with energy values are:

Component Percentage by Mass (Dry Basis)
C H O N S Ash

Leather 60.0 8.0 11.6 10.0 0.4 10.0

Garden Trimming 47.8 6.0 38.0 3.1 0.3 4.5

Wood 49.5 6.0 42.7 0.2 0.1 1.5

Organics 48.5 6.5 37.5 2.2 0.3 5.0

Dirt, Brick, etc. 26.3 3.0 2.0 0.5 0.2 68.0

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Chemical Content (4)
Each element can give energy. Using the Dulong
formula,

O
E (kJ/kg) = 337*C + 1428*(H - ) + 9*S
8

where C = carbon (%)

H = hydrogen (%)
O = oxygen (%)
S = sulphur (%)

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Example of Chemical Extent
Calculate the energy value of the following
food waste:
Component Percentage by Mass (Dry basis)
C H O N S Ash

Food wastes 47.0 6.4 37.6 2.6 0.4 5.0

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