Original articleBiostabilization of municipal solid waste fractions from an Advanced Waste Treatment plant

Controlling the safe disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), especially the biodegradable fraction, is an important goal of waste management. This study reports the effects of using composting to biostabilize the biodegradable fraction of MSW sourced from an Advanced Waste Treatment plant in Australia. The impact of biostabilization on the initial aerobic degradation of the material showed a reduction in oxygen consumption of 30% (230 g O2/kg loss of ignition (LOI)) in immature compost and 45% (181 g O2 kg−1 LOI) in mature compost when compared with the input material (330 g O2/kg LOI). Anaerobic tests showed a reduction in biodegradability of 40% in the immature compost with biogas production 250 L/kg LOI compared with 50% in mature compost with biogas production of 218 L/kg LOI. The results confirm that the biostabilization of the biodegradable fraction of MSW diverted from landfill can result in a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emission.