According to the German engineering company WasteTec GmbH, the biological drying process of municipal solid waste (MSW) has always to be adapted to the local waste characteristics which can greatly vary due to living standards and climatic effects.

Wetzlar – The pretreatment by means of biological drying aims at a subsequent separation and recycling of the waste as well as the production of refuse derived fuel (RDF) for energy recovery, the company says. Energy consumption is low compared to other mechanical biological treatment (MBT) processes as the biological drying is driven by heat-producing microbes and the drying time is only 7 to 10 days.

In April 2009, Wetzlar-based WasteTec GmbH delivered a trial unit for the biological drying of waste to Singapore. Within a test period of several weeks the company was supervising drying trials with different local waste types. “These are posing a challenge to the technology: High portion of organic material and extremely high moisture content. The waste is saturated with water which is partly seeping out”, it is reported. “The first results of the tests were promising. WasteTec technicians adjusted the plant to the waste parameters successfully.”

The main component of the trial plant is a drying unit made of reinforced concrete, weighing 55 metric tons, with an implemented ventilation system. The system was completed with technical equipment such as piping, fans, a cooling unit, electrical installation and the programming designed in-house.

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