Potential Useful Products From Solid Wastes

Abstract

Wastes have been aptly defined as "items, i.e. resources, that have been discarded because their possessors no longer have an apparent use for them". Accordingly, "wastes" have a significance only in relation to the items and those who have discarded them. The discarded items now are resources awaiting reclamation. Reclamation usually involves either salvage or conversion—or in modern terminology, "reuse" or "recycling". Reclamation for reuse consists in refurbishing or other upgrading without significantly altering original form and composition. Examples of wastes amenable to reuse are containers (bottles, etc.), cartons and repairable tires. With "recycling" (i.e. conservation), the discarded items are processed such that they become raw material, i.e. resources in the manufacture of "new" products. The variety of processes is wide, ranging from simply physical (grinding) through thermal (melting, gasification, combustion), to biological (composting, biogasification, hydrolysis, microbial protein production). In the paper, reuse and recycling (conversion) are evaluated in terms of advantages and disadvantages (limitations) and their respective technologies are described and discussed in detail.

Keywords

wastes products reclamation reuse recycling markets fibers metals biogas ethanol.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

De Poli, F. , Cecchi, F. , Traverso, P.G. , Avezzu, F. & Cescon, P. (1986), Anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of garbage: a pilot plant. In Biogas Technology, Transfer, and Diffusion . ( M. M. El-Halwagi , ed.) London & New York: Elsevier Applied Science Publishers p. 446.

Diaz, L.F. , Savage, G.M. & Golueke, C.G. (1984), Critical review of energy recovery from solid wastes, Critical Reviews in Environmental Control, 14, 257-295.

Golueke, C.G. (1977), Biological Reclamation of Solid Wastes. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, Inc.

Meynell, P.J. (1978), Methane: Planning a Digester. New York: Shockner Books.

Moffitt, T.W. (1990), Challenges and opportunities in plastics recycling . Paper presented at the IIR Industrial Conference on Waste Management in a Green Environment: Developing Technologies and Enhancing Markets for Recyclable Materials, London, April.

Schmid, L.A. (1975), Feedlot wastes to useful energy; fact or fiction ? Journal of Environmental Engineering Division, A.S.C.E. , 10(EE5), 787-793.

Wilke, C.R. & Mitra, G. (1974), Process development studies on the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Paper presented at The National Science Foundation Special Seminar, Cellulose as a Chemical and Energy Source, University of California, Berkeley, California .