Characterization of dry fractions contained in municipal solid waste in developing countries: a case study of a region in Morocco

Despite its impact on the environment, the most widely used method for waste management in African countries is landfilling. Energy recovery, in particular refuse derived fuels (RDF), can be a promising option for sustainable waste management in the context of Africa. The scope of this work is to characterize dry fractions contained in municipal solid waste produced in a province in Morocco. The characterization was done according to the seasons, and to the type of area (urban and rural). A second characterization was done in laboratory for dry fractions in study area, and five other refuse derived fuel formulated. The results show that combustible fractions constitute 30% of the waste produced in the study area with a high quantity of textile and hygienic waste. Thus, the seasons and the type of area have an impact on the distribution of some combustible fractions such as paper, textiles, and hygienic waste and wood. Laboratory analysis of dry fractions from the study area and the combinations formed shows the effect of the composition on the quality of RDF, the presence of plastic improves its calorific value. The NCV, ash content, and chlorine content of dry fractions in the study area were measured obtaining a value of 18.65 MJ kg−1, 6.48%, and 0.21%, respectively. Therefore, the most predictive empirical model of net calorific value is the Chang model.