Chapter 3
Solid Waste Handling
Solid Waste Handling
• S/W generation rates
• Waste handling, separation & process at source
• Collection of S/W
• Separation & Processing
• Transfer & Transport
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Waste Generation
Solid Waste Generation
Rates
Why is it important to know ??
• compliance with federal and state waste diversion
programs
• selecting specific equipments for treatment and
management
• designing of waste collection routes
• identifying materials recovery facilities
• planning for disposal facilities
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Estimation of waste quantities
• Methods used are based on gathered data by conducting waste
characterization study or using previous data;
• Load-count analysis – number of individuals loads and corresponding waste
characterization
• Weight-volume analysis – but there are no study objective information
• Material balance analysis – the best way/ method
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Sample calculation - Load count
analysis
Estimate the unit waste generation rate per week for a
residential area consisting of 1430 homes. The observation
location is a local transfer station that receives all the wastes
collected for disposal. The observation period was two
weeks. Determine the unit waste collection rate based on
the assumption that each household is comprised of 3.5
people.
Given data as follows:
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Data:
• Number of compactor truck loads =9
• Specific weight of compactor truck = 500 lb/yd3
• Average size of compactor truck = 25 yd3
• Number of flatbed loads =7
• Average flatbed volume = 3 yd3
• Specific weight of flatbed truck = 225 lb/yd3
• No. of loads from individual’s private trucks = 22
• Specific weight of individual’s truck = 150 lb/yd3
• Estimated volume per domestic vehicle = 9 ft3
1 ft3 = 0.03704 yd3 7
Solution…..
Item, truck No. of Average Specific Total
loads Volume, yd3 weight, weight, lb
lb/yd3
Compactor 9 25 500 112,500
Flatbed 7 3 225 4,725
Individual 22 0.33 150 1,089
Total, lb/wk 118,314
Unit waste collection rate based on 3.5 people per household :-
Unit Rate = Total weight / (cap. x home x day)
1 ft3 = 0.03704 yd3
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1 lb = 0.4539 kg
Material Balance
Outflow (combustion gasses
and ashes)
Outflow
Stored materials
Inflow (materials)
(raw materials,
(materials) Outflow
products, solid waste) (products)
Outflow
(solid waste and solid
in water)
Accumulation = inflow – outflow - generation
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Example question:
A cannery receives on a given day 12 tons of raw produce, 5
tons of cans, 0.5 tons of cartons and 0.3 tons of miscellaneous
materials. Of the 12 tons of raw produce, 10 tons becomes
processed products, 1.2 tons end up as produce waste, which
is fed to cattle, and the remainder is discharged with the
wastewater from the plant. Four tons of the cans are stored
internally for future use, and the remainder is used to package
the product. About 3 percent of the cans used are damaged.
Stored separately, the damaged cans are recycled.
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continued…..
The cartons are used for packaging the canned product,
except for 5 percent that are damaged and subsequently for
recycling. Of the miscellaneous materials, 25 percent is
stored internally for future use; 50 percent becomes waste
paper, of which 35 percent is separated for recycling with
the remainder being discharged as mixed waste; and 25
percent become a mixture of solid waste materials.
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continued…..
• Assume the materials separated for recycling and
disposals are collected daily. Prepare a materials balance
for the cannery on this day and a material balance flow
diagram, accounting for all of the materials.
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Solution….
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• Consider a privately owned retail business that sells metal
accessories. The business receives approximately 250lb of new
merchandise every day. Since much of the merchandise sold must be
matched to an old sample for verification, most customers bring their
old merchandise into the store. A number of customers leave their
old parts behind to be disposed of by the business. It is estimated
that about 20% of the total amount of metal sold is brought in and
left by customers.
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• Of the amount of total merchandise received, approximately 9% of
the weight is in packaging material (paper and cardboard). 87% of
the packaging material is cardboard, of which 60% is recycled after
the merchandise is unpacked. About 7% of the paper and 15% of the
cardboard is sold with merchandise over the counter. The remaining
paper and cardboard is disposed of in the dumpster.
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• The remaining weight of merchandise is metal parts and chemicals.
Chemical make up 11% of the total and all but 10% are sold daily. The
remaining 10% is used within the business for cleaning equipment
and is disposed of as hazardous waste. 78% of the metal parts are
sold per day with the remainder stored internally. Perform a mass
balance and a flow diagram.
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Waste Handling
Waste Handling
• Waste handling in buildings can be divided to residential dwellings and
commercial and industrial facilities.
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Waste Handling
• Residential dwelling can be categories into:
• Low-and Medium-rise Apartments
• High-Rise Apartment
• Commercial and industrial depends on:
• location of available space for large containers
• service access conditions
• stationary compactors
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Low-and Medium-Rise
Apartments
Basement storage or curbside collection
owner provide area for storage of solid waste, containers
for recycling are located at the next nearest solid waste
collection area.
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Low-and Medium-Rise
Apartments
Outdoor storage and mechanical collection
the containers used for recycling are located within the area, large waste
storage container are located outdoors in special closures and are
emptied mechanically using collection vehicles equipped with unloading
mechanical.
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High-Rise Apartments
• Waste are picked-up by building maintenance/ porters from
the various floors and taken to the basement or to the
service area.
• Wastes are taken to the basement or service area by
tenants.
• Wastes are bagged, are placed by tenants in vertical chutes;
waste discharge in chutes are collected in large containers,
compacted or baled directly.
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Picture of typical chute
Isometric view of
individual floor
chute openings for
the discharge of
waste materials in
high-rise apartment
building
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Chute
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Start of
compaction cycle
Typical
compactor
used in
conjunction Loading of
compaction
with waste chamber
chutes in
large
apartment
buildings
Compaction into
container
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Layout of underground pneumatic transport
system for high-rise apartment buildings
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Typical underground pneumatic transport
system for high-rise apartment buildings
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Commercial Facilities
• Accumulated in individual offices or work location
• Collected in large containers
• Large storage containers / stationary compactors / compactors and other
processing equipment.
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Storage of Solid Waste at
Source
• Factors to be considered in the onsite storage of solid wastes includes:
• the effects of storage on the waste components
• type of containers to be used
• location of the containers
• public health and aesthetics
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Effects of Storage on Waste
Components
• Biological decomposition
• Absorption of fluids
• Contamination of waste components
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Absorption of Fluids
• The moisture content inside solid waste will cause re-
equilibrium as wastes are stored in containers.
• The degree of absorption depends on the time the wastes are
stored.
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Contamination of waste
components
• Most serious, major effect, reduce the value of individual
components.
• However, beneficial with respect to the disposal in landfill.
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Types of Containers
• The types and capacities – depend on:
• Characteristic of waste
• Types of waste
• Types of collection system
• Frequency of collection
• Available space for the container
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Temporary & disposable containers
used for the storage and collection
of waste from the curb / apartment
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Storage container for waste used at
commercial facilities
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Typical compaction facilities used for waste
management in commercial establishments
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Compacted Waste
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Processing of Solid Wastes at
Residential Dwellings
Waste processing at residential stage can
help to:
• Reduce volume
• Recover useable materials
• Alter the physical form of solid waste
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Common onsite processing
Onsite processing operations used at low-rise detached residential
dwellings include:
• Food waste grinding
• Component separation
• Compaction
• Incineration
• Composting
• Combustion
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Example problem: Impact of home
separation of waste to energy content
Estimate the energy content in Btu/lb of the remaining solid wastes if
60% of the paper and 90% of cardboard are separated by the
homeowner.
Solution:
Using computational table from example energy content;
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Start of
compaction cycle
Typical
compactor
used in
conjunction Loading of
compaction
with waste chamber
chutes in
large
apartment
buildings
Compaction into
container
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Example problem: Impact of home
compactors on volume of collected
solid waste
Estimate the volume reduction that could be achieved in
the solid waste collected if the compacted specific weight
is equal to 540 lb/yd3 and the given data in Table 3.4 and
4.1 are applicable.
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Composting
• As means of recycling organic materials - Produce useful by-products
• Effective way to reduce volume
• Altering the physical composition of waste
• Two types:
• Backyard composting
• Lawn Mulching
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Composting
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Microbiological Decomposition
Food and other wastes places in onsite storage
containers will almost immediately start to
undergo microbiological decomposition (often
called putrefaction)
46
Composting
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