Investigation of fuel production and energy efficiency of a municipal solid waste thermal processing plant

The rapid depletion of fossil and underground resources is one of the main issues of the century. This rapid consumption makes the search for alternative energy crucial in our country and the world. This search encourages scientists to use different sources of energy by using and developing different technologies. Besides, from past to present, due to the results of a regular consumption of human, it brings with a large and unavoidable waste generation and accumulation. Disposal of these wastes by thermal methods provides an alternative solution to the search for energy sources. In this study, a rotary kiln pyrolysis reactor and a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor used as the thermal treatment method. First, the basic constituents of municipal solid waste (MSW) were mixed at certain ratios and different menus were obtained. In the next step thermally active catalysts (sepiolite and bauxite) were added to these menus. Thus the effect of catalysis on qualities and quantities of final products of pyrolysis was experimentally investigated. The calorific values of the end products (for solid and liquid phases) were calculated with a bomb calorimeter. Thermal and process efficiency analysis were performed depending on the calorific values of the end products. Besides the effect of different ratios of polymer and cellulose on final products of pyrolysis process is observed.