Russian researchers propose disposing trash by adding it to fuel

Russian scientists at the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have created an eco-friendly method of disposing of trash - by burning them as additives to composite liquid fuels.

The research, the results of which are published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, is being hailed as an economically efficient way to get rid of trash, which is also referred to as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), reports Sputnik.

Disposal systems for MSWs are currently underdeveloped, with the idea of reusing, recycling and burning of MSWs as fuel to generate electricity being rare.

Adding waste to a thermal power plant composite fuel may serve as the basis for reducing the total amount of buried MSW, encourage the development of related MSW treatment technology and cut thermal coal consumption for power generation, said Dmitry Glushkov, an associate professor at the TPU Research School of High-Energy Physics.

Glushkov went on to say that the research team studied ignition and combustion dependencies, including characteristics for composite liquid fuels containing fine MSW particles, according to Sputnik.

"It has also been determined that fuels with MSW are notable for lower nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide concentrations in gaseous combustion products as compared to fuels without municipal wastes. The maximum difference in the concentrations of NOx and SOx for such fuels reaches 70 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively," the professor noted.

The scientists believe that their findings will go on to provide a basis for working out a cost-effective disposal technology for MSW which cannot be processed at the moment.

The technology can be introduced at coal-fired thermal power plants during the 10-15 year transition period needed for upgradations in waste disposal systems.

The technology is touted to be a transition from MSW stockpiling and burial to recycling and reuse when the construction of waste incineration plants is not suitable.