EVALUATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID-WASTE COMPOSTING KINETICS

Most modern municipal solid waste (MSW) composting operations have emp hasized the enhancement of decomposition of the organic fraction of th e waste to comply with strict environmental regulations. This can be a chieved once the composting process kinetics are well understood. This study examined process kinetics through experimentation with bench-sc ale reactors under controlled composting conditions to show the interd ependence between biological, chemical and physical factors during com posting of MSW. The effects of temperature, moisture content, waste pa rticle size and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio on process kinetics wer e evaluated. The results obtained revealed that these factors should b e carefully controlled in order to achieve optimum process performance . It has been found that the organic matter degradation during compost ing follows a first-order kinetic model. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.