Environmental Management
O. Arabiyat; J.T. Al-Bakri; F. Kölsch; S. Al-Omari; H. Aladwan
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Municipal solid waste emerges as a pressing concern for environmental management and sustainability, particularly in urban areas with high rates of population growth and limited infrastructure. This study aims to assess the outputs and benefits of a separate source collection ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Municipal solid waste emerges as a pressing concern for environmental management and sustainability, particularly in urban areas with high rates of population growth and limited infrastructure. This study aims to assess the outputs and benefits of a separate source collection system, which separates recyclable materials at their point of origin. The study highlights the consequences of separate source collection on the community''s economic, environmental and social context. The study forms part of a project that intends to upscale sustainable and efficient waste management approaches in a transition towards a circular economy model that utilizes and recycles waste and materials. The objectives encompass addressing urban challenges and providing key insights for environmental management and sustainability through separate source collection systems that improve efficiency, reduce cost and encourage sustainable community practices.METHODS: The study was implemented in the Al-Radwan neighborhood in Amman, Jordan, and included 8,460 individuals and 3,124 households. Data on waste generation from residential and commercial activities were analyzed and used to design the separate source collection system, which included public awareness campaigns for individuals in the study area, waste composition investigations and maps for routes of waste collection trucks. Yellow and grey bins were used to collect recyclable and residual waste, respectively. Data on waste amount and composition were collected and interpreted for the 2020-2023 period. Data on fuel consumption, maintenance and depreciation were used to calculate the operational costs of separate source collection and the old system of municipal solid waste collection. Ground data were analyzed in terms of the individual''s and households'' adoption of waste-sorting practices. An overall assessment was carried out for the economic benefit of separate source collection.FINDINGS: Analyses of waste generation in the study area showed that the average quantity of municipal waste was 0.89 kilogram per capita per day, and there is a trend that shows an increase in municipal solid waste quantities with respect to time. A significant amount of municipal solid waste (60 percent) has an organic composition, while recyclable waste constitutes about 12.5 percent of the total municipal solid waste. The study was a success, with a consistent increase in recyclable waste collection at 59 percent average purity and a 30 percent decrease in total yearly waste collection costs. The project contributed to job creation and improved community participation in municipal solid waste management. The beneficial impacts of awareness campaigns were the low level of required maintenance with respect to the separate source collection system and the high level of public participation and cooperation, particularly in municipal solid waste sorting.CONCLUSION: The study highlighted the importance and effectiveness of the innovative separate source collection system and showed its economic and social benefits while considering its positive environmental impacts. The findings confirmed the system''s economic viability and applicability, showing its potential for large-scale adoption in Jordan. The adoption and implementation of separate source collection will be highly emphasized as it will be needed for solving issues associated with municipal solid waste via creative solutions that promote sustainability and community well-being.
Environmental Engineering
M.R. Yousefi; A. Noorzad; M.J. Mahmoodi
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Harmful ruptures and instabilities in landfills in recent years have highlighted the importance of studying the municipal solid waste and its behavior. These instabilities mostly occur in the landfill of developing countries where waste materials are degradable and saturated. ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Harmful ruptures and instabilities in landfills in recent years have highlighted the importance of studying the municipal solid waste and its behavior. These instabilities mostly occur in the landfill of developing countries where waste materials are degradable and saturated. The behavior of waste and its ingredients are unknown as the main reasons for such instability. The main goal of this study was to better predict the behavior of landfills and unknown materials in municipal solid waste to prevent the environmental disasters.METHODS: A cylindrical specimen was modeled and subjected to triaxial test loading conditions using the finite element method. Also, fresh waste, as a waste sample with a specific composition, was investigated. Using the optimization method, the constants of the presented equation were obtained and the basic model of stress strain was presented based on composite theory.FINDINGS: The whole models for predicting the waste behavior were presented based on the behavior models of soils. This was carried out by the theory of composite materials, which was used for the first time in this study. At the strains of less than 30 percent, a well agreement was observed between the results of the numerical and the present methods. Also, at confining stresses less than 100 kiloPascal, the root mean square of the relative error percentages between the total stresses obtained from the present model and another model was less than 10 percent. At higher confining stresses, this amount was in the range of 10 – 20 percent.CONCLUSION: The results of this study were compared with those of the experimental data in previous models to verify the proposed model. The model proved to be capable of simulating and predicting the municipal solid waste behavior under various loading conditions efficiently. The results implied that assuming the municipal solid waste as composite material was reasonable and could be extended to future studies.
S.S. Hosseini; K. Yaghmaeian; N. Yousefi; A.H. Mahvi
Abstract
Anaerobic decomposition of organic compounds in landfills is responsible for generation of greenhouse gases. The present study aimed to determine the total gas and methane emission from a landfill located in Hamedan (west of Iran) from 2011 to 2030. LandGEM 3.02 model was used to estimate the gas emission ...
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Anaerobic decomposition of organic compounds in landfills is responsible for generation of greenhouse gases. The present study aimed to determine the total gas and methane emission from a landfill located in Hamedan (west of Iran) from 2011 to 2030. LandGEM 3.02 model was used to estimate the gas emission with the volumetric methane percent of 60%, production potential of 107, and methane generation rate of 0.2. Spatial distribution of annual methane and total landfill gas emission rate in the study area at three decades were provided through ArcGIS software. The results showed that organic and food wastes had the maximum amounts in the solid waste stream (over 75%). The results showed that 4.371×108 m3 methane would be produced after 20 years, mostly (4.053×106m3) in the first year. In addition, methane production capacity in Hamedan landfill site was 107 m3/Mg. According to the results, the maximum and minimum gas generation rates are in summer (the hottest season) and winter (the coldest season) respectively. The results of the LandGEM model represented that the total gas and methane generation rates will be significant in the first 10 years. The potential of rapidly degradable organic compounds for gas emission will be higher than that of slowly degradable organic compounds. The results obtained in the present study can be beneficially used in planning for energy production and other applications in landfill sites.
