SOPHISTICATED WASTE DISPOSAL BY

INTEGRATED USE OF EMBEDDED

SYSTEMS, DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM
(DAS) & BIOREACTOR

NAME:
G.MADHUMATHI P.AKILA
DEPARTMENT: EEE
YEAR

:3

COLLEGE

: VELAMMAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MAIL ID

:madhumathigurusamy@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Official import data indicates that India has been a favoured dumping ground for plastic
wastes, mostly from industrialized countries like Canada, Denmark, Germany, UK, the
Netherlands, Japan, France and the United States. According to the Government of India import
data, more than 61,000 tons of plastic wastes have found their way into India. Disposal of
plastic takes 1 million years. So we have introduce technical aspects to degrade plastics
in just 18 months. Guaranteed complete and safe Decomposition of all kinds of waste in
maximum 2 years and generation of electricity. An optimum condition of 140-170 degree
Celsius and a suitable Moisture content of 35-45 litres/cu. Metres could make all bio and non
bio-degradable substances (including plastic) conducive to degradation, We will incorporate both
the above conditions in a single atmosphere with the help of a Bioreactor working in Facultative
landfill condition. We have enhanced our project more efficiently by using advanced
carbon sinking method.
era. We, students, have endeavoured in this
direction to achieve this effect by using
embedded systems and also introduced the
recycling of carbon from this method.

INTRODUCTION
Vegetables, Fruit
Skins, Waste Food

3-4 Weeks

Paper Bags

1 Month

Cloth Bags

5 Month

Wood Pieces

10-15 Years

Leather Shoes &

Sandals

40-50 Years

Iron Sheets

500-100 Years

Aluminium Sheets

200-250 Years

Plastic Bags

1 Million Years

The
above

statistical information is given by Waste

Committee Management, Mumbai.
Looking into the future, we see that for a
better society we all need to continuously
improve the way we manage our disposal
wastes i.e. tins, cans, plastics etc.. It is very
essential that all these wastes especially
plastics(takes 1 million years to degrade), be
treated scientifically so as to degrade them
effectively in the least possible time, but the
prevailing systems are very traditional, and
hence lack the technical aspect of the modern

Research shows that:If sodium chloride, yeast and landfill dirt

(which contains billions of microorganisms)
is added to plastic, it will decompose in a
span of JUST 5 MONTHS.
The entire internal atmosphere of the
bioreactor will be controlled by a DATA
ACQUISITION SYSTEM. Thus with one
computer the entire waste disposal
management system can be controlled and
electricity (from bio fuel) can be produced
simultaneously.
We believe that there are significant
environmental and economic benefits yet to
be gained, which can be achieved by making
various changes in the manner in which our
government is operating the landfills. We are
confident to claim that if this technology is
used plastic and all the other wastes can be
decomposed in just 2 years along with a fast
rate of production of biofuel and hence
electricity. We also see the potential to
revolutionize landfills, from secure waste

repositories to effective land usage all around

the world. We are 100 percent optimistic that
these things can be accomplished. Here is
why?

landfill leach ate, gas condensate, water,

storm water runoff, and wastewater treatment
sludges.

Leading-edge innovation

A Bioreactor is constructed as
shown in the dig.

The engineered landfill is an environmentally

sound system for solid waste disposal. From
a pollution prevention standpoint, the control
features of the modern landfill have been an
unqualified success, but we have also learned
that these same control features retard the
natural decomposition processes in the
landfill by making it a dry tomb. Under these
prevailing conditions waste decomposing
takes over a period of decades, slowly
producing gas and settling until the waste is
biologically stable.
Now imagine that the natural decomposition
of waste in the landfill could be accelerated
to occur within few years instead of decades.
That is what would be achieved while
enhancing environmental protection. This is
the concept behind bioreactor landfill
technology and it is the basis for our
optimism.

Bioreactor landfill technology

Bioreactor technology accelerates the
biological decomposition of food, green
waste, paper and other organic wastes in a
landfill by promoting the conditions
necessary for the micro organisms that
degrade the waste. The most important factor
in promoting waste decomposition is
controlling the moisture content of the
waste. Liquids must be added to the waste
mass to obtain an optimal moisture content
(which ranges from 35 to 45 percent water
by weight). Liquids that are added include:

CONSTRUCTION

New facilities offered by this

bioreactor :Maintenance of optimum conditions -Optimum conditions of 140-170 C and 3545 lit/cu. m is maintained in the bioreactor
with the help of temperature sensors,
moisture sensors, encoders, decoders,
microcontroller and Data Acquisition System
(DAS).
Degradation of plastic in maximum 2
years Presence of Sodium Chloride, yeast,
landfill dirt along with the optimum
conditions in the bioreactor facilitate ultra
fast decomposition of plastic(which takes 1
million years to decompose), in maximum 2
years. We are confident to state this.
Degradation of all kinds of waste in
maximum 4 years The optimum
conditions and re-circulated nitrated leach ate
helps in degradation of all kind of wastes in
maximum 4 years.

Production of Electricity Due to the

optimum conditions maintained by DAS in
the bioreactor Methane, due to degradation
of organic substances, is produced at a rapid
rate. Thus more amount of bio fuel , hence
appreciable amount of electricity is
produced.
No more poisoning of groundwater
Recirculation of leachate prevents it from
penetrating the soil and mixing with the
ground water, thereby making it poisonous.
No more emission of toxic greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere As Bioreactor is a
steel container it does not allow dangerous
gases like methane, ammonia etc. to enter the
atmosphere. Methane is still posing a great
threat to the atmosphere in the form of global
warming. Thus we ensure good health of all
the workers in the landfills.
Conversion of Ammonia to Nitrates Recirculation of nitrated leach ate converts
Ammonia to Nitrate according to the
Nitrogen cycle.
Waste Monitoring
Several parameters are important for
maintaining proper operation in a bioreactor
landfill. These parameters greatly influence
the degradation process of the waste and the
quality and quantity of the biogas produced.
In order to obtain statistically valuable data,
a grid is created for the distribution of
sensors throughout the cell for each lift of
waste. Each location received a temperature
sensor (Quality Thermistor) and a moisture
circuit.
The waste masses are placed at each lift with
a spacing of 75 ft on centre. A total of 47

temperature sensors and 70 moisture circuits

are placed.
Sensor Construction
To prevent corrosion, each sensor is
encased in epoxy and placed in a stainless
steel sleeve. All field wiring connections
were made by first soldering the connection,
then covering each solder joint with adhesive
lined heat shrink tubing, and then encasing
the joint in electrical epoxy

Data Acquisition System (DAS)

This system is nothing but the main PC in the
control room of the plant. It receives the data
from various sensors and processes the data
using the python programs whose outputs
control the various switches via ADC
(Analog to Digital Converter).

Optimum conditions in the Landfill

The two criteria that are supposed to
be controlled inside the landfill are:
Temperature
Moisture
These two must be maintained at optimum
levels for efficient decomposition of the
wastes. The optimum temperature range is
140C to 170C. The optimum moisture
range is from 35 litres/m3 to 45 litres/m3.
Let us now see the various cases where these
criteria need to be optimized.
TEMPERATURE:
Temperature
is
measured by thermostats placed at various
levels placed inside the landfill. This info is
then passed to the Data Acquisition System

(DAS) which is monitored continuously. The

PC program controls the working of the
landfill components.

Logic Diagram for Thermistor kit

The channel Thermistor allows connecting

the personal computer (PC) universal serial
Bus (USB) to the kit on one side, and NTC
Thermistor on the other side.

To bring the temp down to the optimum

range we use the relation

The Thermistor temperature will display on

screen in degrees C, F or K. Additionally,
you will be able to set the log intervals and
log the information to file. Our sophisticated
software logging Dynamic Data Exchange
(DDE) mechanism allows you to open the
logged file with another program, such as
Spreadsheet (MS-Excel etc.) at the same
time. Therefore, you will be able to easily
share the file, view it from anywhere on the
web, and print report or graph from your
familiar existing software packages.
THERMISTOR KIT (USING E-USB
FIRMWARE)

Case 1: Temp > 170C

PV=RT
Indirectly reducing the temp reduces the
pressure (i.e. increasing the volume).
The DAS will open the inlet to the landfill.
So the volume of the solid mass will rise
reducing the pressure (ultimately the
temperature comes down). The DAS will
now close the inlet.
Case 2: Temp < 140C
Temp is raised to the optimum range
indirectly by increasing the pressure (i.e. by
reducing the volume). The DAS once it
senses this case the outlet present in the
landfill is opened to reduce the volume.
When the optimum condition is reached the
outlet gets closed.
B) MOISTURE
The decomposing activities of the bacteria
are active only at the moist conditions. To
optimize the moisture conditions we use the
leachate re-cycled back to the waste mass.
This is not done in the existing landfills.

The kit is based on Cypress integrated circuit

(IC), the CY7C63001.The CY7C63001 IC is
Universal Serial Bus (USB) RISC type
Micro-controller. It conforms to USB 1.5
Mbps specification, version 1.1. No need for
external Power supply! The board is
powered directly from your PC.

There is a tank which collects the leachate

that percolates through the base liner. The
leachate is mixed with the industrial liquid
waste in a separate tank specifically to
achieve the moist conditions.
Circuit to monitor the Moisture:

NATURAL
SEQUESTRATION:

CARBON

The existing landfills dont have the

facility to monitor the moisture.
In this design we make use of a moisture
probe to measure the moisture inside the
mass. The circuit is a simple potential
divider. The feature of a moisture probe is
that its: Resistance is high when it is dry.
Resistance is low when it is wet.
The corresponding voltage is sent to
the DAS for monitoring.

ARTIFICIAL CARBON SINKING

AND SEQUESTRAION:
In this proposed power stations, the main

CARBON UTILIZATION:

alternatives to retrofitting amine-based absorbers to

existing power stations are two new technologies:

Recycling CO2 offer a greenhouse gas

emission reduction from major industrial
emit. Technologies, such as Bio CCS Algal
Synthesis, utilises pre-smokestack CO2 as a
useful input to the production of oil-rich
algae in solar membranes. It is used to
produce oil for plastics and transport fuel
(including aviation fuel).The CO2 and other
captured greenhouse gases are injected into
the membranes containing waste water and
select strains of algae causing, together with
sunlight or UV light, an oil rich biomass that
doubles in mass every 24 hours

coal gasification and combined-cycle andoxy -fuel

combustion. Gasification first produces a "syngas"
primarily of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which
is burned, with carbon dioxide filtered from the flue
gas. Oxy-fuel combustion burns the coal in oxygen
instead of air, producing only carbon dioxide and
water vapour, which are relatively easily separated.
Some of the combustion product must be returned
to the combustion chamber, either before or after
separation, otherwise the temperatures would be too
high for the turbine. Stored Carbon dioxide can be
used on a large scale as a shield gas in MIG/MAG
welding, where the gas protects the weld puddle
against oxidation by the surrounding air. A mixture

of argon and carbon dioxide is commonly used

today to achieve a higher welding rate and reduce
the need for post weld treatment and also for many
applications.

to gas extends the useful life of landfills,

reducing the need to site new facilities.
3) Expanded, concentrated and rapid
production of over 55% methane gas, an
alternate energy source, which produces
more amount of electricity as compared to
persisting technologies.
4) Leachate recirculation reduces leachate
management costs and saving ground water.
5) Provide an environmentally sound
alternative to the land application of certain
liquid wastes.
6) Plastic is no more non-biodegradable as
it takes only a couple of years for it to
decompose now.
7) We assure degradation of all kinds of
wastes in a span of 4 year
ECONOMIC CONCERN:
The conventional materials for constructing
bio-sectors for ethanol production are
stainless and cladded carbon steel because of
corrosive nature of fermenting media.
Global concern of ethanol, the dominating
bio-fuel, has increased from 50 million to
87 million. some estimations reveal that it
may lead to 100 million.

BENEFITS OF OUR SYSTEM

1) Stabilized landfills can be converted to
other useful purposes years sooner with
greater assurance of environmental safety by
accelerated waste stabilization.
2) Recovery of 25 to 35 percent of landfill
space as waste decomposes and is converted

ECONOMIC USE: This help in reducing

fermentation investment cost by 19%.

SALIENT FEATURES OF OUR

SYSTEM
1. In the contemporary landfills the
leachate is allowed to mix with the ground

water, which makes it non potable. But in our

system we take due care to recycle the
leachate again.
2. In previous methods, motors of
various speeds were used making it
expensive and more energy consuming. In
our system, the motor runs at a particular
speed.
3. In the existing landfills it takes about
40 to 50 years to decompose the entire waste
mass. But in our system the optimum
conditions are achieved and sustained to
reduce the decomposing period to 5 10
years.
4. Expanded, concentrated and rapid
production of over 55% methane gas, an
alternate energy source, which produces

more amount of electricity as compared to

persisting technologies.
5. Assurance of degradation of all
kinds of wastes in a span of 4 years.

CONCLUSION:
Each month
millions of tons of waste is produced. Either
they become a part of landfill or are exported
to third world countries. This causes huge
environmental impact in terms of wildlife,
ecosystems and to human health. Keeping
this in mind, this new waste treatment plants
have come up and have developed new ways
to generate energy from landfill waste.