Sorting Analysis

Shenyang, 15th september 2007.

Sorting analysis of the municipal solid waste and of the source separated bio-organic and rest waste in the districts of Beifangyiyuan and Quanyuan.

For the third time in my life i could observe and participate in a waste sorting analysis. First in Brazil, then Germany, now here in China. Most of the people i know would never imagine doing this, but well, someone has to do it. It is not so bad, i keep saying to myself! And anyway, if you want to understand the waste and the problems related to it, you better know with what your dealing.....
The day began early on that sunny Saturday. After a relatively long ride with the taxi we arrived at the Quanyuan district (south of Sy). Met the workers of the project in that area. One of their tasks is to control the amount of the separated waste which is being delivered everyday by each household. Each household receives plastics with the number of their household, black for the bio-waste and blue for the rest, and they bring them down to the collection area near their building. (I was told that, normally in China people take their waste out in the morning, when they go out.)



After collecting the waste, i guess we had maybe 60Kg, we took a cab, and i wonder if the driver knew about the content of the bags, anyway, the black plastics bags sometimes do not really retain the leachate....



So, we had our samples, and we had much work to do, but before, some "shopping". Here i am again, buying things which i don't know how to bring home. But i just loved this vase...... ;-P


And also, what could not be missing: EATING. This was a special restaurant for eating bones (need to check the Chinese name), but we had bones, eggplant, tofu, potato salad, and fried rice and noodles. It was, like usual, a way too much food! And imagine, everything for only 4 euros. Fact: the restaurants give their waste food for animals feeding. So, what we don´t eat, the pigs eat, and then we eat the pigs....


So, after a small rest, we got started. This was the team (and myself), 3 master students Zhang Hailian, Liu Xiansong, and the other guy i forgot the name, since i never saw it written.....buh, so difficult to remember the names of the people....(Check references for the international standard for waste sorting analysis)



The hard work. The sorting table consists of a screen, so that the fine fraction (smaller than 10mm) is separated. The different fractions are then sorted into the categories: plastic, paper, glass, metal, hazardous (serynges, batteries), complex (plastic with different layers), textile, wood/bamboo and the organic itself.

But we are laughing, and somehow, even having fun!!! Well, here i think we were laughing because we were, after 3 hours, almost finished.....


The sorting analysis is done once a month, and the bio-organic waste is used for the anaerobic fermentation and composting (and the MSW for the landfill reactors) experiments.


So, i still need to confirm if the waste which is being separated goes together with the normal non-separated waste to the landfill. But i think so, which is a pity!

One more day - reading day!

Sunday finished with rain, while i was fighting with t mosquitoes, killed like 10 of them, but after reading, when i went to sleep, there were still 3 survivors teasing me. I will get a net, for the sake of my blood.
Monday: Reading-day, many interesting articles from Chinese researchers, and also from some well known german experts in waste management. Later in the afternoon i started searching/reading about the Approved Methodologies related to Landfill gas (LFG) project activities. (under the Clean Development Mechanism approach of the Kyoto Protocol). Actually it is all about the ACM0001 (Approved Consolidated Methodology) which includes the approved methodologies number 2, 3, 10 and 11.
The applicability is given in this cases: [UNFCCC]
This methodology is applicable to landfill gas capture project activities, where the baseline scenario is the partial or total atmospheric release of the gas and the project activities include situations such as:
a) The captured gas is flared; or
b) The captured gas is used to produce energy (e.g. electricity/thermal energy), but no emission
reductions are claimed for displacing or avoiding energy from other sources;
c) The captured gas is used to produce energy (e.g. electricity/thermal energy), and emission
reductions are claimed for displacing or avoiding energy generation from other sources.

I also took the opportunity to briefly check the Carbon Expo presentations from 2006 and 2007. Need to go back to this later someday.
Anyway, i also started to make some thoughts about the second part of the work, which first will need an analysis of Sy in its urban, social and economical structure. Will definitely need some help with this.

After dinner with the colleagues (today i tried the steamed bred!), we went for a walk around the campus. Nice, and, as they said, really empty. Let´s see how does it look like in 3 weeks....Made some pics. ........


Back to the lab, upset because the trick with the zeros together with my normal 4 numbers password didn't work, no idea what to do now. I guess i can only try another bank, maybe one where i can go to the counter.
I was showed how the CH4 content measurements work, and also the computer monitoring of the anaerobic digesters. Nice nice! Also started collecting maps of Sy, with the help of Mr. Luo. So, late now, have to go! Did i tell you that they close the door of our residence at 10.30pm, and we don´t have any key! Ha, i was also told that they turn the lights off at 11pm, but i never noticed! ;-)

Tomorrow will finally meet Prof. Raninger, and will try to solve the 2 problems, first one with internet access in my room, and with the money!