Organic Degradation and Gas Generation of MSW under Controlled Constant Temperatures

Abstract

Temperature is an important factor affecting organic degradation and gas generation for municipal solid waste (MSW). To address this issue, a temperature-controlled water tank was designed and used to investigate organic degradation and gas generation of synthetic MSW samples under different constant temperature conditions. It is concluded that the suitable temperature for organic degradation ranges from 3 to 4°C, and 3°C is the most suitable temperature for gas generation. The degradation process of organic components is different from the process of gas generation. The rates of organic degradation present a single-peak feature whereas the rates of gas generation exhibit a double-peak feature. Only a part of the organic components in MSW can generate gas during degradation. Calculation methods were proposed to simulate the single-peak feature of the organic degradation rate over time and the double-peak feature of the gas generation rate over time, respectively. The degradation process of the organic component is divided into five stages. The start-stop times of each stage are obtained by combining the calculation methods of organic degradation and gas generation.