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Experimental study on the trommel screening performance of municipal solid waste
Yuqi Jin1, Linfeng Yu1, Yuhan Lu2
1MOE Key Laboratory of Soft Soils and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Summary
Trommel screens efficiently separate municipal solid waste (MSW) components. Optimal performance depends on moisture content, fine particle levels, and rotational speed for effective heavy and light material separation.
Area of Science:
- Waste Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Trommel screens are essential for processing landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW).
- The heterogeneous nature of MSW complicates particle-size-based screening efficiency.
- Further investigation is needed on how different waste fractions are screened under time constraints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate trommel screen performance on MSW.
- To analyze the effects of moisture content, fine particle content, and rotational speed on screening efficiency.
- To evaluate the separation efficiency of light and heavy materials based on size.
Main Methods:
- MSW samples were collected using large-diameter drilling from a landfill.
- Sieving tests were conducted, and screening products were manually sorted by density and particle size.
- Screening efficiencies for heavy material (ηH), light material (ηL), and light material content in undersized product (ωL,U) were calculated.
Main Results:
- Light materials generally showed lower screening percentages than heavy materials.
- At 20% moisture content, increased fine particles improved heavy material efficiency but reduced light material efficiency and undersized product quality.
- Higher moisture content (60%) led to decreased heavy material efficiency with increasing fine particles, while undersized product quality varied.
- Optimal rotational speed for maximum heavy material efficiency increased with moisture content, impacting undersized product quality.
- Increased screen length can enhance screening efficiency at higher rotational speeds.
Conclusions:
- Trommel screen performance is significantly influenced by moisture content, fine particle content, and rotational speed.
- Achieving high efficiency for heavy material separation and maintaining low contamination of light material in the undersized product simultaneously is challenging.
- Optimizing trommel screen parameters requires balancing competing objectives based on specific waste management requirements.
