Classification of municipal solid waste components for thermal conversion in waste-to-energy research

•MSW components are classified by proximate and ultimate analyses.•MSW components are classified by TG characteristics using cluster analysis.•TG characteristics of 26 kinds of MSW components are discussed.•Typical components can be selected for thermal conversion research.

Different researches selected different municipal solid waste (MSW) components to study their thermal chemical characteristics in waste-to-energy research. Therefore, a specific classification is needed for the research of thermal conversion of MSW components. In this paper, based on 26 kinds of MSW component samples, MSW components were classified using cluster analysis method according to the proximate and ultimate analyses and heating value results, as well as thermogravimetric (TG) characteristics. The classification groups include vegetables (including banana peel), starch food, orange peel, wood waste, printing paper, cellulose, PVC, PET (including terylene), PE/PP, PS, and rubber. According to the above classification, typical components can be selected for thermal conversion in waste-to-energy research.

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