Page 13 - Energy from Toxic Organic Waste for Heat and Power Generation

2 Energy from Toxic Organic Waste for Heat and Power Generation

About 80% of the world’s total population live in urban areas as per 2018
survey. Urbanization combined with the overall growth of the world’s pop-
ulation could add another 2.5 billion people to urban populations by 2050.
The quantum of waste generated in the towns and cities are increasing
day by day on account of its increasing population and increased GDP.
Population explosion, coupled with improved lifestyle of people, results in
increased generation of toxic wastes in urban as well as rural areas. However,
due to ever increasing urbanization, fast adoption of use and throw con-
cept, and equally fast communication between urban and rural areas, the
gap between the two is diminishing. The waste from rural areas is more of
a biodegradable nature and the same from urban areas contains more non-
biodegradable components like plastics and packaging. The objectionable
attitude toward waste and its management is, however, common in both
the sectors. Universally, “making garbage out of sight” is the commonly
followed practice. Generally, in urban areas, local bodies, popularly known
as the municipal corporations/councils, are responsible for the management
of activities of wastes concern to public health. However, in the present era,
with increasing public awareness as well as new possibilities for economic
growth, waste management started to receive due attention. Various initia-
tives have been taken by government, NGOs, private companies, and local
public in the past few decades to aware the public to understand the harm-
ful effect of waste and its proper disposal methodologies based on organic,
inorganic, hazardous, and nonhazardous nature.
The waste can be classified as solid waste originating from vegetable
waste, kitchen waste, household, etc.; e-waste originate from discarded elec-
tronic devices such as computer, television, music systems, etc.; liquid waste
from water used for different industries, tanneries, distilleries, thermal power
plants, plastic waste from plastic bags, bottles, bucket, etc.; metal waste from
unused metal sheet, metal scraps, etc.; and nuclear waste from unused ma-
terials from nuclear power plants. Further, all these wastes can be grouped
into wet waste (i.e., biodegradable) and dry waste (i.e., nonbiodegradable).
The biodegradable wastes are kitchen waste including food waste of all
kinds—cooked and uncooked, including the eggshells and bones, flower
and fruit waste, including juice peels and house plant waste, garden sweep-
ing or yard waste consisting of green/dry leaves, sanitary wastes, green waste
from vegetable and fruit vendors/shops, waste from food and tea stalls/
shops, etc. Similarly, nonbiodegradable wastes are paper and plastic of all
kinds, cardboard and cartons, containers of all kinds excluding those con-
taining hazardous material, packaging of all kinds, glass of all kinds, metals