The establishment of a quality and comprehensive waste management system often requires more than mere morphological waste fraction characterization. It is also necessary to determine waste fraction characteristics by analyzing its physicochemical properties and testing its biodegradability, all of which are significantly important for further handling and utilization of the biodegradable waste component, primarily as a raw material for energy production.
Biodegradable municipal waste (BMW)
The determination of the biodegradability of municipal and other types of waste provides valuable information that facilitates decision-making within the waste management system, primarily during the construction of waste management centers. Although the composition depends on a number of parameters, the municipal waste of larger cities in Europe has a very similar composition, and a significant share of municipal waste consists of biodegradable fractions.
According to available data, a large proportion of biodegradable municipal waste is still deposited in landfills in the Republic of Croatia. With a view to increasing the level of citizens’ awareness and knowledge regarding the necessity of rational waste management, it is imperative to demonstrate in quantitative terms the harmful impact of specific waste material on the environment and, at the same time, its suitability for reuse, i.e., savings through energy production.
The most commonly used waste biodegradability determination methods are as follows:
- biogas potential determination (e.g., GS21, GS90)
- the determination of organic and inorganic carbon content in waste (TC, IC, and TOC)
- ignition loss determination and the determination of biomass content in waste
- the determination of aerobic biological stability of waste materials (e.g., RDRI, AT4)
