Evaluating an anaerobic digestion (AD) feedstock derived from a novel non-source segregated municipal solid waste (MSW) product

•A novel homogenous non-source segregated MSW AD feedstock was produced.•CH4 yields similar to other common feedstocks in terms of total and volatile solids.•Due to low moisture contents CH4 yields were high in terms of as received mass.•Digestate contaminants were below the median European threshol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Waste management (Elmsford) 2017-01, Vol.59, p.149-159
Main Authors: Blake, L.I., Halim, F.A., Gray, C., Mair, R., Manning, D.A.C., Sallis, P., Hutchinson, H., Gray, N.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaerobic digestion feedstock
Anaerobiosis
Biofuels
Cities
Contaminants
Escherichia coli
Europe
Feedstock
Gases
Lead (metal)
Markets
Methane - chemistry
Municipal solid waste
Nickel
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Refuse Disposal - methods
Regulation of waste
Roto-autoclaving
Salmonella
Soil
Solid Waste
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
Sustainable biogas production
Temperature
Waste Disposal Facilities
Waste management
Waste treatment
Wastes
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Summary:•A novel homogenous non-source segregated MSW AD feedstock was produced.•CH4 yields similar to other common feedstocks in terms of total and volatile solids.•Due to low moisture contents CH4 yields were high in terms of as received mass.•Digestate contaminants were below the median European threshold limits.•Future use of such AD feedstocks and digestates requires harmonisation of regulation. In many nations industrial scale AD of non-agricultural waste materials (such as MSW) has not yet reached its full potential, often constrained by the lack of secure, inexpensive, high quality AD feedstocks, and markets for the resulting digestate material. We tested the output material of a high throughput novel industrial process to define its potential as an AD feedstock (based on quality and consistency). This process, designed to circumvent the constraints of source segregation while still generating segregated waste streams, resulted in the production of a temporally homogenous fibrous material with: an average moisture content of 44.2 (±2.33)%; C:N ratio of ∼32.9:1 (±3.46:1), C:P ratio of ∼228:1 and gross calorific value of 17.4 (±0.29)MJ/kg(DM). This material provided a CH4 yield of between 201 and 297m3 CH4/tonne(DM) (271–401m3CH4/tonne(vs)) comparable to commonly used AD feedstocks. Material contaminant levels were temporally consistent (P>0.05), (average values being Cd 0.63 (±0.19), Cu 56.3 (±7.45), Crtot 51.4 (±4.41), Hg
ISSN:0956-053X
1879-2456
DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2016.10.031