Demonstration of estimation of incinerability of municipal solid waste using incinerability index

摘要

Estimation of incinerability of municipal solid waste (MSW) can play a crucial role in the feasibility assessment of waste incineration. A composite indicator called incinerability index or i-Index was developed to estimate the incinerability of MSW incorporating the 3-E concept, i.e. the potential to impact the environment, energy recovery and economy of operation. Eight input parameters that encompass the 3-E concept form the part of the index structure. While some of these parameters may be readily available, a few other input parameters may need to be estimated either experimentally or theoretically. The objective of this study is to effectively demonstrate the estimation of the input parameters, thus facilitating the quantification of incinerability using i-Index. A theoretical approach to the computation of parameters is introduced as an alternative technique, which can simplify the computation of the index for practical purposes. Following these approaches, the input parameters for MSW generated in South Delhi were estimated and the corresponding i-Index amounted to 66.1. In comparison with the /-Index of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) which amounted to 80, the incinerability of MSW generated in South Delhi thus quantified was low. Further, the paper also provides a brief account of a few potential applications of incinerability estimation using i-Index.