Environmental Engineering

Ch.E-452
Topic:
Treatment and disposal methods of Municipal Solid Waste
Submitted To:

Dr. Khurram Shahzad Baig

Submitted By:

Muhammad Ahmad Saleem

Semester

8th

Reg#

Uw-18-Ch.E-Bsc-011

Department of Chemical Engineering

Wah Engineering College

University of Wah

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Table of Contents
Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)..................................................................................................................... 3
Existing Solid Waste System in Pakistan ....................................................................................................... 3
Leading Sub-Sectors: ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Opportunities: ................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
The most commonly recognized methods for the final disposal of solid wastes are:.................................. 5
Benefits of recycling: ................................................................................................................................. 7

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Overview:

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) more commonly known as trash or garbage—consists of

everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings,
furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes
from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.

Pakistan produces around 45 million tonnes of solid waste each year, with an annual growth rate
of more than 2.4 percent. Pakistan, like other developing countries, lacks waste disposal
infrastructure, resulting in significant environmental issues. The majority of municipal waste is
either burnt, dumped, or buried on vacant lots, endangering the general public's health and
welfare. The Pakistani government estimates that 87,000 tonnes of solid trash are created each
week, largely in larger cities. Every day, Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, produces around
16,500 tonnes of municipal trash. The management of urban trash is a huge issue for all big
cities. The problem is exacerbated by bureaucratic roadblocks, a lack of urban planning,
insufficient waste management equipment, and a lack of public awareness.

Existing Solid Waste System in Pakistan:

Local and municipal governments are responsible for collecting waste throughout most of
Pakistan’s major cities. About 60-70 percent of solid waste in the cities is collected. The waste
collection fleet typically consists of handcarts and donkey pull-carts for primary collection; then
open trucks, tractor/trolley systems, and arm roll containers/trucks for secondary collection and
transport. Some municipalities hire street sweepers and sanitary workers to augment other
collection methods. They use wheelbarrows and brooms to collect solid waste from small heaps
and dustbins, then store it in formal and informal depots.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, utilizes three sanitary landfill sites, while Lahore, the country’s
second-largest city, has two. Other major cities plan to build proper landfill sites. In many areas,
solid waste is simply dumped outside the city limits. Solid waste management capabilities and
systems vary by province. In Punjab, Lahore is the only city with a proper solid waste
management, treatment, and disposal system, which was outsourced to Turkish companies
Albayrak and OzPak. Similar systems are planned for secondary cities in Punjab province. In
Sindh, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Infrastructure and Service Delivery Reform
Program has provided $400 million (in 2019) to the Sindh Cities Improvement Investment
Program (SCIP), which aims to improve solid waste management services in 20 secondary cities
and has issued tenders for a wide range of waste management projects. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) is planning to build a sanitary landfill.

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 Baluchistan, with a population of 6.9 million, has no significant infrastructure for waste
management system.

Much of Pakistan’s solid waste does not reach final disposal sites. In developed countries, most
solid waste generated winds up in landfills, incinerators, or other recycling centers. In Pakistan,
much of the waste generated is recovered for recycling, mostly by scavengers, before it ever
reaches disposal points.

Solid Waste Generation in Major Cities

Solid waste generation/day

City Population in million
in tons
Karachi 20,500,000 16,500
Lahore 10,000,000 7,690
Faisalabad 7,500,000 5017
Rawalpindi 5,900,000 4,500
Hyderabad 5,500,000 3,973
Multan 5,200,000 3,680
Gujranwala 4,800,000 3,480
Sargodha 4,500,000 3,072
Peshawar 2,900,000 2,048
Quetta 600,000 716

Leading Sub-Sectors:

 Equipment: Waste collection and transportation

 Waste to energy plants and equipment
 Chemicals: To remove waste odor for open landfill sites all-over the country
 Instrumentation
 Waste recycling plants
 Biohazard waste equipment
 Industrial and municipal wastewater treatment machinery

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The most commonly recognized methods for the final disposal of
solid wastes are:

1. Composting
2. Incineration
3. Landfilling
4. Pyrolysis
5. Recycling

1. Composting:

Another method of treating municipal solid waste is composting, a biological process in which
the organic portion of refuse is allowed to decompose under carefully controlled conditions.
Microbes metabolize the organic waste material and reduce its volume by as much as 50 percent.
The stabilized product is called compost or humus. It resembles potting soil in texture and odour
and may be used as a soil conditioner or mulch.

Composting offers a method of processing and recycling both garbage and sewage sludge in one
operation. As more stringent environmental rules and siting constraints limit the use of solid-
waste incineration and landfill options, the application of composting is likely to increase. The
steps involved in the process include sorting and separating, size reduction, and digestion of the
refuse.

2. Incineration

A waste treatment technology, which includes the combustion of waste for recovering energy, is
called as ―incineration‖. Incineration coupled with high temperature waste treatments are
recognized as thermal treatments. These products are later used for generation of electricity. The
gases, flue gases are first treated for eradication of pollutants before going in to atmosphere.

Among waste-to-energy technologies, incineration stands taller. Other technologies are

gasification, PDG, anaerobic digestion and Pyrolysis. Sometimes Incineration is conducted
without the reason for recovering energy.

In past, incineration was conducted without separating materials thus causing harm to
environment. This un-separated waste was not free from bulky and recyclable materials, even.
This resulted in risk for plant workers health and environment. Most of such plants and
incinerations never generate electricity.

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Incineration reduces the mass of the waste from 95 to 96 percent. This reduction depends upon
the recovery degree and composition of materials. This means that incineration however, does
not replace the need for landfilling but it reduced the amount to be thrown in it.

Incineration comes with a number of benefits in specific areas like medical wastes and other life
risking waste. In this process, toxins are destroyed when waste is treated with high temperature.

3. Landfilling

It is one of the most common waste disposal methods worldwide. It involves collecting,
transporting, dumping, and burying waste in a designated land. Many cities plan for deserted and
vacant spaces to handle rubbish.

Authorities strive to ensure that the design of each landfill is effective in relation to sanitization
and economical use of land. Still, landfills are a major source of health and environmental issues
that affect many societies. To start with, the gas coming from these landfills is always extremely
hazardous. A fact is that all the other four disposal methods are better than using landfills.

Landfills have many problems. All types of waste is dumped in landfills and when water seeps
through them it gets contaminated and in turn pollutes the surrounding area. This contamination
of groundwater and soil through landfills is known as leaching

4. Recycling

Recycling is the process of reusing materials and resources that would otherwise be thrown away
as waste to slowly deteriorate with time.

We all know that recycling has many benefits that are both economic and environmental yet we
don’t truly know the value of recycling. Thus, we don’t see any immediate impact that the extra
effort of recycling has. That is why this article exists to educate and inform you of what positive
changes you can have as an individual.

However, you should be aware that not all materials and resources can be recycled. We will take
a look at common household items which can and cannot be recycled, and why later on in this
article.

Because we cannot recycle everything, we are required to sort out the recyclable from the non-
recyclable items and handing it to a recycling centre where it is taken care of. It is this little extra
effort that makes all the difference.

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Benefits of recycling:

Environmental benefits

 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions – By re-using our resources, it reduces the amount of
pollution from factories needing to produce new materials. Little by little, this can have a
significant impact on the long-term.

 Keeping the Earth beautiful – Re-using items which can typically end up inside
dumps is definitely a terrific way to help keep the environment clean. Can you imagine a
future where the city is covered with landfill dump? Not very pleasant is it? Recycling
can help us avoid a bleak future and protect the environment through a more natural
process of life.

 Conserve natural resources – We are limited to a finite number of natural resources

here on Earth. Once we run out of natural resources we must look for new ways to
acquire resources beyond this planet. By using our waste in a creative way, we can
minimise the number of natural resources we use to produce products every day.

5. Pyrolysis

In general, pyrolysis represents a process of thermal degradation of the waste in the total absence
of air that produces recyclable products, including char, oil/wax and combustible gases. Simply
speaking, pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of organic materials in the absence of oxygen. ...
Thermal decomposition of organic components in the waste stream starts at 350°C–550°C and
goes up to 700°C–800°C in the absence of air/oxygen.

Pyrolysis

This is a method of solid waste management whereby solid wastes are chemically decomposed
by heat without the presence of oxygen. It usually occurs under pressure and at temperatures of
up to 430 degrees Celsius. The solid wastes are changed into gasses, solid residue of carbon and
ash and small quantities of liquid.

Advantage: This will keep the environment clean and reduce health and settlement problems.

Constraint: The systems that destroy chlorinated organic molecules by heat may create
incomplete combustion products, including dioxins and furans. These compounds are highly

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toxic in the parts per trillion ranges. The residue it generates may be hazardous wastes, requiring
proper treatment, storage, and disposal.

Best method of solid waste:

The best solution is recycling of the solid waste. It is the process of converting waste into some
new or usable product thereby preventing waste disposal. Obviously landfill method of disposal
has many limitations. Landfills are likely to cause air water and land pollution in spite of utmost
care taken.

References:

 https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/pakistan-waste-management
 https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/web/html/
 http://www.wrfound.org.uk/articles/incineration.html
 https://www.paulsrubbish.com.au/recycling/