Separation of biodegradable material from the low calorific fraction of municipal solid waste

The increasing concerns regarding climate change and depletion of raw materials motivate governments to intensify their actions towards a cleaner energy matrix, independent of fossil fuels, and a more sustainable material supply chain. In this context, municipal solid waste (MSW) is of major interest, considering it contains a variety of potentially valuable materials, such as biomass (e.g. food and green waste) and recyclables (e.g. plastics, glass, mineral fractions, etc.). However, when suitable local infrastructure for the separation of these materials does not exist, MSW is usually discarded in landfills or thermally treated. Often, the thermal treatment involves transportation over long distances. The objective of this work was to develop a pilot mechanical pretreatment system for the separation of MSW (fraction