Research on the Combustion Performance of Municipal Solid Waste in Different Sorting Scenarios: Thermokinetics Investigation via TG–DSC–FTIR–MS

Abstract

Waste sorting is regarded as one of the most important strategies for municipal solid waste (MSW) management. The changes in the combustion parameters after MSW sorting had a significant impact on the actual operation of the boiler. In the present study, the effects of heating rate on combustion characteristics and dynamics of MSW in different sorting scenarios were studied using the thermogravimetry (TG)− differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)−Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)−mass spectrometry (MS) technique. TG−DSC analysis showed that the heat released from MSW combustion at different heating rates ranged from 1394.1 to 4130.1 J/g. According to the TG−DTG curves, the combustibility of 30% sorted MSW was increased by 1.2 times compared to that of the unsorted scenario. In the 30% sorted scenario, the average activation energies were estimated to be 161.24 and 159.93 kJ/mol based on the Flynn−Wall−Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger−Akahira−Sunose (KAS) methods, respectively. Based on the Coats−Redfern (CR) method, the minimum activation energies for unsorted and 20% sorted scenarios were 148.74 and 135.53 kJ/mol at 523 to 606 K, respectively, while they were 29.42 and 33.22 kJ/mol at 606 to 780 K. XRF analysis showed that the alkali and alkaline earth metal oxides in the ash contributed to a high risk of slagging and scaling. This work can provide a scientific basis for the real situation of MSW incineration.