The effect of stirring in the hydrothermal process to convert the mixed municipal solid waste into uniform solid fuel

An innovative waste treatment technology has been developed in Indonesia to treat the mixed municipal solid waste into a solid fuel by employing the hydrothermal process. A mixture of organic and plastic waste was treated in a 2.5 L reactor using saturated steam in the temperature range of 120 to 180 °C. Two modes of operation were employed to achieve two different goals, i.e. without stirring (NS mode) and with stirring (WS mode). It was observed that both modes resulted in increasing density of product up to twofold of the raw MSW. In NS mode, the processed mixed MSW was converted into two different products; however, in WS mode the bulky plastic was converted into small granules, producing a uniform product. The results suggest that by hydrothermal treatment, the organic fibers in the organic parts are trapped into the plastic, and the stirring breaks the bulky plastics, producing uniform granules suitable as solid fuel. Therefore, the stirring during the hydrothermal process can be a solution to treat...