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Comprehensive characterization of unscientifically disposed municipal solid waste (MSW) in Kashmir Region, India

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Abstract

Unscientific dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a common practice in Kashmir. To have an environmentally friendly and sustainable waste management system, MSW was collected from nine study locations of this region. They were air-dried, then oven-dried at 105 °C for 24 h, segregated, and characterized for various components. The overall average organic waste was > 55%, plastic waste about 17%, inert material about 10%, paper 9%, and cloth waste 7%. The calorific value of paper and plastic wastes exhibited was 4910 kcal/kg, while organic waste had a calorific value of 1980 kcal/kg. The proximate analysis showed that the moisture content ranged from 16 to 29%, volatile matter ranged from 49 to 72%, ash content ranged from 0.03 to 5%, and fixed carbon ranged from 5 to 20%. In S7, the volatile matter content recorded the lowest value at 49.15%, while in S5, the volatile matter content was notably higher at 71.84%, indicating easier ignition. Further, elemental analysis revealed that the major elements in MSW were carbon and oxygen, 53% and 37%, respectively, with small traces of heavy metals with an average of 0.02% cadmium (Cd) and 0.006% lead (Pb). Moreover, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrographs provided confirmation that the majority of components in the MSW exhibited either partial or complete degradation, resulting in a rough surface texture. In addition, the presence of silica and other silicate groups was also detected. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis revealed that the main functional groups were alcohol. In the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, all the major mineral phases were detected between 20 and 30° 2θ, except for the peaks at 50–60° 2θ in S3 and S9 where catalysts such as zeolite Y and zeolite X were detected. Overall, the MSW had low moisture content but higher calorific value, making it a viable feedstock.

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Data will be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Science and Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, for the financial support for this study under Accelerate Vigyan Scheme, Sanction number SERB/F/1506/2022-2023.

Funding

Science and Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, provided funds for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Muneeb Farooq, Farhat Un Nisa, Asif Farooq, Saheem Rasool, Reyaz Hussain Akhoon, Muhammad Yousuf Shah & Khalid Muzamil Gani

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

    Adhithiya Venkatachalapati Thulasiraman

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Zahoor Manzoor

  4. Sustainability Cluster, Department of HSE and Civil Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India

    Sachin Tripathi

  5. Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa

    Khalid Muzamil Gani

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  1. Muneeb Farooq
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Contributions

M.F. revised and wrote the original manuscript and prepared the figures and tables and also did the sampling for the whole region and data analysis.

A.V.T. wrote the initial draft of the manuscript and prepared the figures and also did data analysis.

Z.M. did the sampling.

S.T. did the characterization of the samples.

F.U.N. did the characterization of the samples.

A.F. and S.R. did the FT-IR analysis of the samples.

R.F. did the FE-SEM analysis of the samples.

M.Y.S. revised and edited the manuscript.

K.M.G. conceptualized the whole study, provided resources, and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Khalid Muzamil Gani.

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Farooq, M., Thulasiraman, A.V., Manzoor, Z. et al. Comprehensive characterization of unscientifically disposed municipal solid waste (MSW) in Kashmir Region, India. Environ Monit Assess 196, 450 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12581-7

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