Performance analysis of a residual MSW mechanical-biological treatment plant

In wide areas of Southern Italy, the territorial authorities dealing with municipal solid waste treatment (MSW) planning still allow the use of sanitary landfill, usually following emergency managerial conditions. Within this scenario, the regional regulations define the acceptability of waste disposal in landfill according with the assessment of the residual biological activity of the materials they contain. In the systems characterized by a low degree of waste differentiation, the application of combined systems of mechanical and biological treatment is suitable for disposal, namely it allows, in the middle-long time, the implementation of reuse practices for restoration action or incineration. Starting from the analysis of a case study concerning a mechanical-biological treatment plant working in the region of Puglia, the present article aims at supplying some technical data useful to plan these systems. The main results concerned the physical characterisation and the oxygen uptake of the waste stabilized.