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Related Experiment Video

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Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock

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Published on: May 6, 2010

Addressing the operational problems in a composting and recycling plant.

Gurdal Kanat¹, Ahmet Demir, Bestamin Ozkaya

¹Yildiz Technical University, Environmental Engineering Department, 34349 Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey. kanat@yildiz.edu.tr

Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)

|April 4, 2006

Summary

Improving waste management at the Istanbul composting plant could recover 58% of oversize materials (OM), reducing significant operational issues and preventing an annual economic loss of over $640,000. Source separation is key to increasing compost and material recovery.

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Area of Science:

Waste Management
Environmental Engineering
Recycling Technologies

Background:

The Istanbul composting and recycling plant, established in 2001, faces operational challenges due to a high proportion of oversize materials (OM) in incoming waste.
OM, primarily plastic bags filled with garbage, constituted approximately 40% of the total waste during initial operations, causing significant disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the composition of oversize materials (OM) at the Istanbul plant.
To evaluate the economic losses incurred by the plant due to operational failures related to OM.
To identify potential improvements for increased material recovery and operational efficiency.

Main Methods:

Characterization of oversize materials (OM) exceeding an 80-mm sieve.
Assessment of operational failures and interruptions impacting material processing.
Economic analysis of potential material recovery versus landfilling costs.

Main Results:

Approximately 58% of the OM currently sent to landfill could be processed effectively with improved operational conditions.
Failure to recover these materials results in an estimated annual economic loss of $640,800.
Compost quality is satisfactory, but source separation is crucial for enhancing compost yield and recovered materials.

Conclusions:

Optimizing operational conditions at the Istanbul plant can significantly increase the recovery of valuable materials from oversize waste.
Implementing source-separated collection, particularly separating wet and dry waste fractions, is essential for maximizing compost production and resource recovery.
Addressing the challenges posed by oversize materials is critical for the economic viability and environmental performance of the composting plant.