Waste biomass municipal biosolids

Another large source of renewable carbon supplies is waste biomass. It consists of a wide range of materials and includes municipal solid wastes (MSW), municipal biosolids (sewage), industrial wastes, animal manures, agricultural crop and forestry residues, landscaping and tree clippings and trash, and dead biomass that results from nature s life cycles. Several of these wastes can cause serious health or environmental problems if they are not disposed of properly. Some wastes such as MSW can be considered to be a source of recyclables... 

Again, there is no question of the physical availability of biosolids. They are collected in municipal wastewater systems and are therefore available in centralized locations. But in this case, treatment is essential for health reasons and protection of the public. Unless processes exist that can be used to treat and stabilize the waste and at the same time recover energy, it does not make much sense to use untreated biosolids as a waste biomass feedstock. In fact, such processes exist and will be discussed in some detail in later chapters. The other option to consider is the utilization of treated biosolids as a waste biomass. 

There are basically two types of municipal waste that offer opportunities for combined waste disposal and energy recovery—municipal solid waste (MSW, urban refuse, garbage) and biosolids (sewage, sludge). Each has its own distinctive set of characteristics as a biomass energy resource. 

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