Title: Characterisation investigation on organic compost of municipal solid waste using physico-chemical, spectroscopic and thermal methods at different stages

Authors: Jasir Mushtaq; Abdul Qayoom Dar; Naved Ahsan

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Government College of Engineering and Technology, Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, 193501, India ' Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India ' Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islami (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India

Abstract: An experimental study was performed on the organic compost produced from municipal solid waste (MSW). In this study, the characterisation of organic compost was carried out by using physico-chemical and sophisticated spectral methods (SEM-EDS, FT-IR and XRD) at four different stages of the decomposition process. The findings of organic compost on the 60th day depicted heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr) were within the prescribed standard limits of Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), 1985, India. The SEM micrographs showed the disintegrated final product of compost material on the 60th day. Further, X-ray diffraction exhibited the reduction of sharp to mild peaks, which represented the change of compost material from crystalline to amorphous material and FT-IR spectra depicted the intense broad peaks on the 60th day of the decomposition, respectively. Eventually, it was concluded that the above techniques were helpful to know the maturity and in-depth characteristics of organic compost.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; MSW; compost; scanning electron microscopy; SEM; X-ray diffraction; XRD; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; FT-IR; thermogravimetric; TG.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2024.138880

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2024 Vol.34 No.1, pp.1 - 19

Accepted: 17 Nov 2021
Published online: 03 Jun 2024 *

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