Physical and Chemical Characterization of a Refuse Derived Fuel from an Isw in a Landfill Located of Southern Brazil

Abstract

One challenge to recover the energy content in wastes is the heterogeneity. The thermal processes are being preferable choices to produce energy from the refuse derived fuel (RDF). Incineration is the technique most used; gasification and pyrolysis are also being studied as alternatives. In Brazil, the residues are classified as municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid wastes (ISW) and present different management rules and goes to different landfills. To define thermochemical conversion processes for energy recovery it is crucial the knowledge of RDF properties. The physical and chemical properties of the RDF vary with the composition and it is a complex variable to deal. This work aims to perform a characterization to determine the composition, physical and chemical properties of the ISW received in an industrial landfill of southern Brazil. Moisture, total solids, fixed solids and volatile solids, flash point, bulk density, low heating values, high heating values were performed with the sample after secondary shredding. While carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, metals, nonmetals and semimetals, volatile organic compounds were carried out with the samples obtained after tertiary shredding. The results show moisture, low heating value and bulk density have an average of 16.08±4.03, 17.16±4.69 MJ/kg, and 340±3.00 kg/m3, respectively. All RDF from ISW studied indicates the possibility of combustion without additional fuel according to Tanner diagram. Highlights: Different samples of industrial solid wastes (ISW) were investigated; Quantitative and qualitative composition of ISW sample was determined; Samples of ISW were shredded and quartered before analysis; Moisture, proximate analysis, HHV, CHNOS and VOC were evaluated.