Mechanical biological treatment for municipal solid waste

A major portion of municipal solid waste (MSW) is dumped in unsanitary landfills in India. To protect the environment, there is an urgent need to develop a technology which could handle the increasing MSW quantities and enhance resource recovery. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is considered a potential method for dealing with heterogenous MSW. Proper mechanical sorting can make the post-treatment (biological as well as thermal processes) much effective. In the manuscript, MSW sorting options for the eight most populous cities in India are evaluated using simplified material flow analysis. The analysis highlights that similar to 45-97% of the total MSW can be diverted from landfills by using the proposed schemes. Some alterations in the current waste collection and segregation practices can maximise the benefits from MBT process. The reported study is beneficial for waste managers dealing with similar type of MSW.