Evaluation Of The Energy Content Of Municipal Solid Waste From Kabagarame Dumping Site In Bushenyi District, Uganda
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Date
2023-05
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Kampala International University
Abstract
Poor municipal solid waste management poses a very big threat to the environment as well as human health through production of leachate and greenhouse gas emissions. Modern management of waste around the world has moved from waste disposal to energy recovery through WtE; thermal conversion processes such as incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, biochemical conversion processes and chemical conversion. This study focuses on the Calorific Value of Municipal solid waste at Kabagarame dumping site in the district of Bushenyi, Uganda. Specifically, wet solid waste samples were characterized, the heating value of the wastes was determined and the impact of moisture content on the heating value was evaluated. Representative municipal solid waste samples were determined in accordance with the ASTM D5231. 1.5 kg of wet solid waste sample was picked from five different spots on a weekly basis for a period of thirteen weeks (May 2022-August 2022). These samples were then hand sorted into different categories; food waste, mixed paper, plastic, glass, wood, other organics(excluding wood, plastic, food waste & mixed paper)and other inorganics(excluding glass),weighed and then taken to the laboratory to determine the calorific value of the samples using a bomb calorimeter. The study results revealed that other organics comprise the biggest proportion of (45.25 %), food waste (24.17 %), and other inorganics (12.54 %), followed by plastics (11.38 %), and mixed paper (2.88 %), glass of all kinds (2.36 %) and wood of all kinds (1.42 %) with anoverall energy content of 16.42 MJ/kg on dry matter basis. This energy can be harnessed by different production facilities particularly Tea factories in the region through incineration process so as to generate heat necessary for their production processes. The findings also suggest that understanding the composition of municipal solid waste is essential for creating the best disposal strategy for recovering resources trapped in the wastes.