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Solid Wastes:
Definition and
characteristics
Solid wastes all wastes arising from human and
animal activities that are normally solid and
that are discarded as useless or unwanted
- Solid mass of throwaways
- Can be heterogeneous/ homogeneous
depending on the source
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Objectives
To identify the various types of solid
wastes and their sources
To examine the physical and chemical
components of solid wastes
To consider in general terms the
elements involved in the management of
solid wastes
Types of SW and their sources
Three categories:
Municipal wastes
Industrial wastes
Hazardous wastes
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SW Characteristics
Garbage animal and vegetable wastes from
the handling, preparation, cooking and
serving of food
Rubbish combustible and non-combustible
solid wastes from homes, stores, institutions,
but does not include garbage
Trash combustible rubbish
Properties of Solid Wastes
Physical Properties
Identification of the individual components
Sampling
Particle size
Moisture content
Density
Chemical Properties
Proximate analysis moisture, volatile matter, ash,
fixed carbon
Ultimate analysis C, H, O, N, S, ash content
Heating/ energy value
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Physical Properties
Identification of the individual components
- Paper/cardboard
- Plastics
- Rubber
- Glass
- Metal ferrous and non-ferrous
- Food/organic wastes
- Garden wastes
- Etc
Sampling
Sorting methods manual and mechanical
Wastes are sorted into their respective groups
A representative sample is chosen should be almost
homogeneous
If it is large, then the representative sample is further
divided into smaller portions
Mass of each material group is determined, and it total
percentage in the sample is calculated
The percentage of materials is reported as the wastes
composition
Values may vary based on geographical locations,
human activities, climate, culture, etc.
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Moisture Content
Moisture content is usually expressed as the mass of
moisture per unit mass of wet or dry material
Wet-mass moisture content is expressed in the
equation below:
Moisture content (%) = a b x 100%
a
Dry-mass moisture content is expressed in the
equation below:
Moisture content (%) = a b x 100%
b
Where, a initial mass of sample as delivered
b mass of sample after drying
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Density
Chemical Properties
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