PROPOSAL FOR THE DESIGN OF AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT FOR THE TREATMENT OF SOLID URBAN WASTE FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF ARANDAS, JALISCO

• Main Authors: Norberto Santiago-Olivares, Samuel Íñiguez-Gómez, Javier Isaac Contreras-Ochoa, Guadalupe Jacqueline Hernández-Hernández
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Autónoma Indígena de México 2018-12-01
• Series: Ra Ximhai
• Subjects: solid waste treatment plant; bioreactors; composting; garbage separation; urban solid waste (USW)
• Online Access: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12JE1TcLvDTGorsXU16OiSi32W0iNhUYn/view

One of the biggest problems in cities is the management and disposal of urban solid waste, since large volumes are generated and there is no separation at the generation points. The beginning of a solution to this problem is to separate the garbage from home into inorganic waste, organic waste and sanitary waste, to be then collected and given a subsequent treatment, seeking sustainable development in the community. In the present project we considered treating the fraction of organic solid waste (RSO) through a composting process with accelerated fermentation, with the help of bioreactors (closed system), which can reduce the composting time of four months (estimated average time of open-system composting) to less than two months. For the treatment of inorganic waste we considered implementing a separation system into different types: metals, plastics, paper and cardboard, glass, fabrics and hazardous waste; to then give them a pre-treatment (if necessary) for subsequent sale; in the case of hazardous waste, they should be confined to a sanitary landfill, with the rest of the unusable waste: dirt, rocks, construction waste, etc. In addition, we considered that sanitary waste (together with textile waste and non-recyclable plastics) could be burned in a solid boiler coupled to a turbogenerator for the production of electrical energy (necessary in the motors of motion transmission of the plant); however it was not feasible due to technical problems that are discussed below. With the support of the Arandas’ City Hall and the José Mario Molina Pasquel and Henríquez Technological Institute, Arandas campus, we were able to design, build and make the technical tests of a prototype of aerobic continuous bioreactor of accelerated fermentation. With the results obtained, the scaling of the pilot bioreactor equipment was carried out at the industrial level, according to the amount generated by RSO in the municipality of Arandas, and later, designing the treatment plant for organic waste. For the design of the inorganic solid waste plant, the different necessary equipment, their characteristics, capacity and cost were determined. In addition, we performed the pricing of the civil works required for the treatment plant and the installation of the electric power.