WASTE TO ENERGY: INVESTIGATION OF CHARACTERISTICS AND THERMAL BEHAVIORS OF WASTES

Abstract

Wastes from agro-industrial activities as well as municipal wastes can become a potential source for advanced energy conversion technologies. Due to differences in the nature of waste sources, existing knowledge regarding the characteristics and thermal behaviors of wastes is still very limited. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and thermal behaviors of three types of waste: bagasse, textile and plastic wastes. Results showed that these wastes had a high potential for use in energy conversion technologies. Plastic waste had the highest value for volatile matter and calorific value. Meanwhile, bagasse and textile wastes had a very low ash content, suitable for thermal processes. TGA-DTG analysis showed that the thermal decomposition of bagasse and textile wastes were relatively similar, expressed in three stages: dehydration, volatile matter decomposition, and char oxidation. However, for plastic waste, the thermal behavior was primarily composed of decomposition of volatile matter and polyene chains. These results provide important information for the simulation and design of advanced energy systems using diverse sources of wastes.