ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT NO. 8: SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Name:
Manglo, John Andrae B.

Prepare clean and clear solutions to the following problems.

1. Nonlegume vegetable wastes have a moisture content of 80% and are 4% N of a dry mass basis. The vegetable wastes
are to be composted with readily available sawdust. The sawdust has a moisture content of 50% and is 0.1% N on a dry
mass basis. The desired C:N for the mixture is 20. The C:N ratio for vegetable wastes is 11 and the C:N ratio for sawdust is
500. Determine the weight of sawdust required per kilogram of vegetable waste that results in an initial C:N ratio of 20.

Assume 1 kg of non legume vegetable waste dry mass.

Let X = kg of sawdust on a dry mass basis.

From vegetable waste:

Dry mass nitrogen = 1 kg × (1 – 0.8) × 0.040 = 0.008 kg
Dry mass carbon = 1 kg × (1 – 0.8) × 0.040 × 11 = 0.088 kg

From sawdust:
Dry mass nitrogen = X × (1 – 0.5) × 0.001 = 0.0005 × X
Dry mass carbon = X × (1 – 0.5) × 0.001 × 500 = 0.25 × X

For the C: N Ratio:

(mass carbon from vegetable waste + mass carbon from sawdust)

20 = (mass nitrogen from vegetable waste mass + nitrogen from sawdust)

(0.088 + 0.25 ×X )
20 = X= 0.30 kg
(0.008 + 0.0005 × X)

2. Equal amounts of two types of waste are disposed into a section of a landfill. They both start producing gas at t=0, so
there is no lag time. Assume first order decay for gas production. Each type of waste can produce 150 L methane per kg
of waste. Waste A produces gas with a half-life of 6 years, and waste B produces gas with a half-life of 3 years. How long
until 90% of each gas has been produced?

Tot. Cumul. Gas (t) = Cumul Gas A (t) * Cumul Gas B (t)

Tot. Cumul. Gas (t) = 150x*(1 – exp(-kAt)) + 150x * (1 – exp(-kBt))

0.9 * 300x = 150x*(1 – exp(-kAT)) + 150x * (1 – exp(-kBT))

use half-lives instead of k values

270 = 150*(1 – exp(T*(0.693/6)) + 150*(1 – exp(T*(0.693/3))

Or 0.2 = exp (-T*0.693/6) + exp(-T*0.693/3)

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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

- By Iteration

We got X= 15.3 or 15 years

3. The mass composition of dry paper is 43% carbon, 6% hydrogen, 44% oxygen and 7% others. Estimate the volume of air
required to burn 1 kg dry paper. Assume carbon dioxide and water are the only products of combustion of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen. Assume a temperature of 20 C and a pressure of 1 atm.

Element Mass g/kg of MW in g/mol No. of mol of

paper paper per kg/mol
Carbon 430 12 35.83

Hydrogen 60 1 60

Oxygen 440 16 27.5

(35.83 mol C *(1 mol O2/1 mol C)) + (60 mol H* ((1/4 mol O2)/1 mol H)) – (27.5 mol O *((1/2 mol O2)/1 mol O))

= 37.08 mol O2

PV=nRT

𝐿−𝑎𝑡𝑚 273+20 𝐾
V= (37.08 mol O2 * 0.082 * )= 890.88 L O2
𝑚𝑜𝑙−𝐾 1 𝑎𝑡𝑚

890.88 L O2 * ( 1 L air / 0.21 L O2) = 4242.29 L Air

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