Suitability assessment for handling methods of municipal solid waste

Solid waste management is challenging in Phnom Penh city, Capital of Cambodia. The onlyone formal treatment taken is the final disposal of mixed waste into an open dumpsite. The current studyanalyses the physical and chemical characteristics of municipal solid waste disposed of in the dumpsiteto assess their suitable handling methods. The current study found that the major compositions of wasteare food waste (49.18%) and plastic (21.13%), and recyclable waste shares about 17.28% of the total. Onaverage, it contains 60.92% moisture, 35.89% combustible, 3.19% ash, 58.32% carbon and 1.05% nitrogen.High calorific value is 10.03 MJ/kg when the low calorific value is 7.77 MJ/kg. The moisture content is toohigh to meet the technology demands, especially in the rainy season. It seems workable for incinerationwithout energy recovery. Gasification for melting and incineration with energy recovery are only suitablefor the dry season. If the solid waste is well pre-separated, material recovery could be one of the suitablehandling methods. Food waste, wood and leave could be digested in the one-stage continuous wet systemand co-composted, and plastic is appropriate for refuse-derived fuel generation. The study recommends thatthe waste pre-separation should be requisite for any handling methods.

Keywords:

Open dumpsite , Pre-separation , Recovery , Solid waste management , Suitable handling method