Characterization and Potential Recovery of Household Solid Waste in the City of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

This study on physical and physicochemical characteristics of household solid waste (HSW) in the city of Ouagadougou by using MODECOM, “Method of Characterization of Household waste” was done fifteen (15) years after the first study. Special attention has been paid to waste sampled and also to estimate energy content, namely the higher heating value (HHV) and the lower heating value (LHV). As a general tendency, the results showed a sensitive evolution in the physical parameters of waste (composition by size and composition by category) and also in the physicochemical parameters (moisture content and energy content). The results of HSW composition study showed that regardless the seasons, fermentable fraction is dominant (39% in the rainy season and 20% in the dry season) followed by plastics (18% in the rainy season and 20% in the dry season). The moisture content is measured to be 56.69% and 37.69% respectively in the rainy season and dry season. The results analysis of the potential of recovery showed that the organic recovery is more important (60% in the rainy season and 55% in the dry season) than the matter recovery (43% in the rainy season and 46% in the dry season). These results highlight the need for organic recovery and matter recovery of HSW in the city of Ouagadougou. The results from the analysis of the energy content showed that the HHV is estimated to be 17.94 MJ/kg in the rainy season and 17.96 MJ/kg in the dry season. The LHV is calculated to be 6.38 MJ/kg in the rainy season and 10.27 MJ/kg in the dry season. These results suggest that incineration as treatment of HSW in the city of Ouagadougou is not economically an appropriate option.