SOLID CHAR CHARACTERIZATION FROM EFFECT OF RADIATION TIME STUDY ON MICROWAVE ASSISTED PYROLYSIS OF KITCHEN WASTE

Abstract

Increment of population in a country influenced the generation of high amount solid waste that being sent to the landfill. High proportions of solid waste were contributed by the kitchen / food waste. Currently, conventional method used for final disposal of these wastes was through landfilling or through direct incineration. However, high moisture content at 90% stretched a dilemma for both disposal method which leachate was generated from the landfill and furthermore, it cannot be achieved or limited by using incineration due to the humidity limitation of the incinerator. In this research, microwave assisted pyrolysis introduced was not only to dispose the waste, at the same time can recover valuable material from the kitchen waste. Effect of radiation time was studied at range 10 min to 60 min in the process in order to get optimum process condition. Meanwhile, other parameter such as microwave power level, sample weight loading and microwave absorber ratio were set constant at 1000W, 200g, and 20%wt/wt respectively. High conversion of kitchen waste was transformed into solid char was obtained at low radiation time with conversion >80%. Solid char obtained was analysed and had good fuel properties with calorific value >16000 J/kg. Solid char obtained also has high carbon content and low oxygen content which indicated the pyrolysis had fully transform the kitchen waste to carbon solid char and contained low hydrocarbon chemical content. In a nutshell, the microwave assisted pyrolysis can be implemented to treat the kitchen waste and at the same time can recover the valuable material which has the potential to become solid fuel.

Keywords

• Solid char
• Radiation time
• Microwave assisted pyrolysis
• Kitchen waste.