Effects of Plastics in Anaerobic Digestion of Urban Solid Wastes

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion is a possible method for treating urban solid wastes. This pilot plant study was undertaken to ascertain the effect of plastic refuse on the anaerobic digestion process of municipal solid wastes. The air-blown polyethylene film present in the air classified light fraction of solid waste from Pompono Beach, Florida, U.S.A. was removed by visual separation. Control digesters operating on this substrate, produced more gas than test digesters to which the plastic scraps had been returned.

Keywords

Anaerobic digestion plastic film polyethylene

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Pfeffer, J.T. (1974), Reclamation of Energy From Organic Waste EPA-670/2-74-016 , March, 1974.

Nemerow, N.L. (1984), Industrial Solid Wastes. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.

Sengupta, S. et al. (1981), Characterization and Environmental Studies of Pompano Beach Anaerobic Digestion Facility. Annual Reports to U.S. Department of Energy, Contract Number DOE EV/10113302.

Muthuswamy, S. et al. (1982), Characterization of Process Streams and the Effects of Plastic Wastes on Anaerobic Digestion. Resource Recovery Conference, University of Miami, U.S.A.

Polprasert, C. , Edwards, P. , Rajput, V.S. & Pacharaprakiti, C. (1986), Integrated biogas technology in the tropics 1. Performance of small-scale digesters. Waste Management & Research, 4, 197-213.