Energy Potential Assessment of Excavated Landfill Material: A Case Study of the Perm Region, Russia

Abstract

The paper presents results of field and laboratory studies of thermal characteristics to excavated landfill waste in Perm region, Russia. The peculiarity of the study includes the following aspects: waste composition with a high share of polymers, the climatic conditions of the territory and the lack of engineering infrastructure at the waste disposal facility. When determining the waste composition and thermal properties of waste, it is proposed to include a stage of removal of contamination from landfilled waste fraction, since their share of contamination can reach up to 33%. This stage will allow researchers to adjust the net calorific value of the excavated waste without overestimation, which may affect decision-making when implementing waste management technology. Among combustible components with the highest moisture content are waste paper (69.1%) and diapers (65.8%), whereas wood (11.2%), PET bottles (3.1%) and other 3D plastics (13.4%) have rather low ash content on a dry basis. Calculation of thermal properties and analysis of the energy potential of the waste samples was conducted based on the obtained data. The calorific value of the individual components and excavated waste depends not only on the moisture and ash content of the individual components, but also on the presence of contaminants. The average net calorific value of the excavated waste is 4.9 MJ/kg, and for the separate mixture of combustible components, it is 7.5 MJ/kg at a moisture content of 44%. Excavated landfill waste can be regarded as a resource for the manufacture of secondary fuel only after pretreatment that includes at least sorting and drying. The results of this study may be useful in developing technologies needed to eliminate old MSW dumps and old landfills, for the development of the concept of circular economy and prevention of environmental degradation problems.