Spontaneous Ignition/Low Temperature Oxidation of Municipal Solid Waste

Abstract

Spontaneous ignition of waste stockpiles represents a serious economic and safety problem. The said type of processes are deemed very important for determining a tendency of municipal solid waste (MSW) towards self-ignition, as well as for identifying appropriate technical measures (ventilation, forced cooling) that need to be implemented in order to prevent fires and pollutant emissions from MSW management facilities, especially waste transfer stations, waste storages, etc. The paper describes waste oxidation and spontaneous combustion processes, which are closely related to similar processes occurring in many other organic materials. Regardless of the considered process nature, results indicate that consumption of oxygen and heat transfer rate in the waste stockpile are significant and thus favorable for fire outbreak or explosion incidents. The "constant oxidation rate" values obtained, considered to be the process indicators, were significantly larger than the corresponding values obtained for different coal varieties.