Anaerobic treatment of municipal solid waste

This paper discusses the present state of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal in Argentina, focusing on the particular situation of the city of Salta, and suggests the future trend of the anaerobic treatment of this residue. Source-sorted household solid waste was determined by means of a statistical design. Municipal solid waste produced 147,103 kg per day +/- 6.7%, the major portion corresponds to the biodegradable organic fraction (55.4%). The plastic, metal, paper, glass, and other material production was also evaluated. The organic municipal waste was chemically and biologically characterized, in order to study its behaviour during anaerobic digestion. The ratio normally found in organic fractions from MSW in Salta, Argentina, was in the optimum range which is 126:7:1 (C:N:P, w/w). The stability of the anaerobic process was analized in a 18 liter batch reactor. Its pH, biogas production, alkalinity, and volatile fatty acid production was determined. Although the work has been carried out at a small scale it appears to be sufficiently promising to encourage further work at a larger scale.