M.S. Thesis:
Part I. Thermal Breakdown Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste Components in Varying Oxygen Environments
Part II. Municipal Solid Waste Management in China
By Alexander P. Whitworth
Advisor: Prof. Marco J. Castaldi
Co-advisor: Prof. Nickolas J. Themelis
Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering
Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science
Columbia University
September 2005
This thesis was prepared in two sections, the first being a write up and analysis of over one hundred thermo-gravimetric experiments carried out during 2004-5 and aimed at increasing the understanding of the thermal breakdown of municipal solid waste (MSW) components, the second being a more general literature search investigating the state of the MSW management in China. Due to the increasing use of and investment in waste-to-energy technologies in Asia, these two realms of knowledge are inextricably linked. Below is a brief summary of the two parts of this thesis; a more detailed summary is provided in the main text.