Assessment of the use of Ewa bioreactor in the process of bio drying of undersize fraction manufactured from mixed municipal solid waste

The article presents the results of a research on the processing of undersize fraction, extracted from a stream of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW), into alternative fuel, in the process of bio-drying. The analysis was conducted with the use of an innovative EWA (Ecological Waste Apparatus) bioreactor adapted to carrying out aerobic treatment of waste in such processes as: composting, aerobic digestion/stabilization and bio-drying of waste. EWA bioreactors have been designed and manufactured by AGRO-EKO spol. s r.o. from the Czech Republic.The subject matter of the analysis was undersize fraction, with particle dimensions ranging from 0 to 50 mm, manufactured in the process of sorting (mechanical processing) of MSW. The main aim of the research was to assess suitability of the use of EWA bioreactor in the process of alternative fuel production from undersize fraction developed from municipal waste (in the process of accelerated bio-drying). Samples were collected between 2011 and 2012. The undersize fraction and the produced alternative fuel were analysed by AGRO-EKO spol. s r.o. and at the University of Agriculture in Krakow, in accordance with the standards for wastes and solid fuels. It has been concluded that undersize fraction produced from mixed municipal waste might be the ...

ANALYSIS OF THE UNDERSIZE FRACTION TEMPERATURE CHANGES DURING THE BIOSTABILIZATION PROCESS

Mixed municipal solid waste collected from the area of each Polish district (commune) is transferred to Regional Installations for Municipal Solid Waste Treatment. They comprise one or more of the following facilities: installations for mechanical-biological waste treatment (MBT), installations for thermal treatment of municipal solid waste, green waste composting plants and landfill sites. MBT installations have been currently the dominant technology of mixed municipal solid waste treatment in Poland. In these installations mixed waste is subjected to mechanical processes (including: crushing, separation, screening and classification) resulting in the production of the undersize fraction with usual grain size below 80mm and the oversize fraction with grain size over 80mm. Because of the necessity of stabilization and hygenization of the undersize fraction prior to landfilling, it is subjected to the process of biological treatment, e.g. biostabilization.The main aim of the research was to analyze the temperature changes during the biostabilization of the undersized fraction in thermally insulated BKB100 laboratory bioreactor. The research covered a 14-day period of the intensive phase. The analyses were performed in 6 replications. 40.1±2.2kg of waste with density of 519.2±27.5kg·m-3 and the biodegradable fraction content of 41.9±1.9% was placed in the reactor. The temperature of waste inside the ...