Waste to Energy: Harnessing the fuel in organic waste to create a business opportunity for a recycling-based society and system
To generate a feasible amount of methane to support a digester, it is estimated that 10 to 12 tons/d, with 8-10% contamination and 80% of the contamination being bioplastics, can produce about 70 Nm3/h of biogas. This is the amount of biogas needed to produce 200 kg/day of hydrogen, which is the smallest commercially available packaged system. The greenhouse gas emission (GHG) for IngeoTM is currently 1.3 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer compared to approx. 3.2 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer for PET. Therefore, implementing anaerobic digestion for PLA can reduce around 942.5 kg - 1132 kg per day of CO2 equivalent emissions. A total of 1 ton per day of undigested bioplastic with 30% of total solids will be sent to landfills; 3 tons per day of dewatered digestate cake can be utilized for composting, and Class A fertilizer can be produced. The research on anaerobic degradation of biopolymers is still in its infancy. Therefore, this report has discussed different pre-treatment alternatives to treat PLA such as physical, chemical, and thermal treatments. This report suggests on-site segregation benefits of the current solid waste management scenario in the commercial sector of Plano, Texas. Organic waste generated from a cafeteria of the commercial sector in Plano caused an environmental impact on landfills. This report consists of a description of existing scenarios and possible pre-treatment alternatives for bioplastic degradation generated from the commercial sector. Harshada Pednekar was a graduate research analyst in the Hunt Institute while studying for a masters degree in environmental engineering from SMU's Lyle School of Engineering
To generate a feasible amount of methane to support a digester, it is estimated that 10 to 12 tons/d, with 8-10% contamination and 80% of the contamination being bioplastics, can produce about 70 Nm3/h of biogas. This is the amount of biogas needed to produce 200 kg/day of hydrogen, which is the smallest commercially available packaged system. The greenhouse gas emission (GHG) for IngeoTM is currently 1.3 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer compared to approx. 3.2 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer for PET. Therefore, implementing anaerobic digestion for PLA can reduce around 942.5 kg - 1132 kg per day of CO2 equivalent emissions.
A total of 1 ton per day of undigested bioplastic with 30% of total solids will be sent to landfills; 3 tons per day of dewatered digestate cake can be utilized for composting, and Class A fertilizer can be produced. The research on anaerobic degradation of biopolymers is still in its infancy. Therefore, this report has discussed different pre-treatment alternatives to treat PLA such as physical, chemical, and thermal treatments. This report suggests on-site segregation benefits of the current solid waste management scenario in the commercial sector of Plano, Texas. Organic waste generated from a cafeteria of the commercial sector in Plano caused an environmental impact on landfills. This report consists of a description of existing scenarios and possible pre-treatment alternatives for bioplastic degradation generated from the commercial sector.
Harshada Pednekar was a graduate research analyst in the Hunt Institute while studying for a masters degree in environmental engineering from SMU's Lyle School of Engineering
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Figure 8: M<strong>in</strong>eralization of PLA <strong>in</strong> Anaerobic condition at 37C & 52C (Itavaara et al. 2002)<br />
Ultraviolet Irradiation<br />
Ultraviolet irradiation at a wavelength of 254 mm (UV-C) can break <strong>the</strong> long cha<strong>in</strong>s of PLA<br />
beverage cups <strong>and</strong> reduce <strong>the</strong> average molecular weight (Jeon & Kim 2013). The<br />
exposure of PLA <strong>waste</strong> <strong>to</strong> UV-C radiation be<strong>for</strong>e compost<strong>in</strong>g will <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>the</strong> rate of PLA<br />
degradation.<br />
Dairy & <strong>Waste</strong>water Inoculation<br />
Anaerobic microbial <strong>in</strong>oculum was derived from an anaerobic <strong>waste</strong>water treatment<br />
facility, <strong>and</strong> that dairy manure can be used <strong>for</strong> test<strong>in</strong>g of PLA degradation. The dairy<br />
<strong>waste</strong>water sludge was Act<strong>in</strong>omadura, a good source of microbial consortia. The amount<br />
of <strong>in</strong>oculum was equivalent <strong>to</strong> 10% of <strong>the</strong> volume of <strong>the</strong> solution. Figure 9 shows a<br />
schematic diagram of PLA degradation under UV-C irradiation followed by Soil Burial,<br />
Dairy <strong>Waste</strong>water Sludge (DWS), <strong>and</strong> P. geniculate WS3 additions<br />
(Pattanasuttichonlakul 2018). UV-C irradiation decreased <strong>the</strong> molecular weight of PLA<br />
as compared <strong>to</strong> UV-A <strong>and</strong> UV-B.<br />
WASTE TO ENERGY<br />
PEDNEKAR, HARSHADA
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