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Sustainability analysis of organic fraction of municipal solid waste conversion techniques for efficient resource recovery in India through case studies

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: REGIONAL CASE STUDY
  • 4th 3R International Scientific Conference (4th 3RINCs 2017)
  • Published:
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Worldwide solid waste generation is nearly 1.3 billion tonnes/year, whereas in India 62 million tonnes of solid waste is generated per year by 377 million urban people. The increasing amount of solid waste in India, nearly 50% of which is organic matter, is the major concern for treatment and waste management. Several technologies are already in practice for the treatment of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) in India. It is important to assess the sustainability of these processes. In this study, the existing OFMSW technologies in India were examined. Case-study approach was taken for this purpose along with some published secondary reports. It was found that the selection of technology quite depends on the composition of the OFMSW. Food waste rich fractions are recommended for biomethanation, whereas the fractions rich in market waste and household waste are suitable for composting. Fractions rich in lignin and lignocellulosic materials are suitable for pyrolysis and gasification, whereas the rejects are to be sent for RDF preparation. Based on the findings, a sustainable framework has also been proposed, implementation of which may result in better waste management.

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Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the support of International Society of Waste Management, Air and Water (ISWMAW); Centre for Quality Management Systems (CQMS) Jadavpur University, 5th IconSWM and 4th 3RINCs for organizing the field trips.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India

    Anaya Ghosh, Bimal Das & Jyoti Prakas Sarkar

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

    Biswajit Debnath

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

    Sadhan Kumar Ghosh

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  1. Anaya Ghosh
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Correspondence to Jyoti Prakas Sarkar.

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Ghosh, A., Debnath, B., Ghosh, S.K. et al. Sustainability analysis of organic fraction of municipal solid waste conversion techniques for efficient resource recovery in India through case studies. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 20, 1969–1985 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0721-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0721-x

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