Co-combustion of coal and solid waste (municipal and industrial solid wastes)

This work determines the thermal characteristics of various mixtures of carpet waste as an illustrative solid waste. Generally the results revealed that combustion of a mixture of coal with carpet waste yields high fuel bed temperature, in comparison with the combustion of pure solid waste. High fuel bed temperatures of 1340°C to 1520°C obtained during the combustion of a mixture of coal with PVC carpet waste would be ideal for energy recovery. The fuel bed temperature of 1290°C obtained during the combustion of 100% PVC carpet waste suggests that the combustion of general industrial solid waste may be expected to yield a fuel bed temperature of about 1400°C which would be suitable for energy recovery in the form of power generation or steam generation for general use. The results also revealed that combustion of a mixture of coal and municipal solid waste may require 30% to 35% coal to achieve a fuel bed temperature of about 1300°C. From an economical viewpoint, the percentage of coal must be kept to a minimum, at least 20% coal or less