Torrefaction of urban bio-waste in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Nowadays, the increasing amount of municipal solid waste generation in Sri Lanka, has become a national concern. In this study, the main objective was to investigate the feasibility of application of torrefaction process as a solution for Sri Lankan urban bio waste. The results were made by conducting the torrefaction process at a temperature of 275°C for 20 minutes in a lab scale reactor, for a sample prepared according to bio waste composition of Sri Lankan municipal solid waste. According to the experimental results, a 92.5% reduction of moisture content, 58.9% reduction of volatile matter, 3.9% increment of ash content were found in the torrified waste. Most importantly, a final fixed carbon amount of 83.4% were obtained in the end product to further evident the possibility of torrefaction process as a valorization solution for Sri Lankan urban bio waste problem.