Abstract:
According to the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, by the end
of 2023, approximately 120 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) had been generated across
over 3200 landfills in the country. About 4.5 million tons are generated annually, of which only
about 15% are recycled. The accumulation of both unsorted and sorted waste poses significant
environmental risks, primarily through the generation of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times
more dangerous than carbon dioxide in contributing to the planet’s greenhouse effect over a century
and 84 times more effective over a 20-year timeframe. The objective of this research is to examine the
physicochemical composition, as well as the physical and thermal-chemical properties, of municipal
solid waste from six cities in Kazakhstan: Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktobe, Karaganda, and
Ust-Kamenogorsk. Unlike existing studies, this study has a uniform waste sample, which includes
the complete emptying of dozens of containers from different areas of the cities under consideration.
Thus, the average composition of solid waste across the cities was maintained. Analysis of the
physicochemical composition was conducted for both unsorted and sorted municipal solid waste
from all cities, determining the total and analytical moisture content, ash content, and volatile matter,
as well as the higher and lower calorific values. The calorific value of unsorted waste by city was as
follows, in kJ/kg: Astana,8850.37; Almaty, 9244.57; Atobe, 9596.41; Shymkent, 9425.48; Karaganda,
8902.8; Ust-Kamenogorsk, 9669.07. The calorific value of sorted waste was as follows, in kJ/kg:
Astana, 11,922.79; Almaty, 11,692.31; Atobe, 11,913.13; Shymkent, 12,494.38; Karaganda, 11,671.92;
Ust-Kamenogorsk, 12,462.52. The efficiency of sorting was estimated as the first stage of MSW
processing. The efficiency factor of the manual sorting process in practice was 0.4–0.8. The results
obtained enable the evaluation of technologies for the effective management of municipal solid
waste and facilitate experimental investigations into semi-industrial pyrolysis, combustion, plasma
processing, and composting facilities.
