One big step
Our Bangladesh is very beautiful and green, but due to the lack of good waste management,
this beauty is being tarnished, and the environment is becoming polluted. Many countries are
now becoming more aware of waste management and are taking various steps on it.
We believe that if Bangladesh becomes conscious about its waste management, various
environmental problems will disappear from our country.
The first step in this waste management is waste collection and transportation.
To facilitate the transportation of this waste, we will have to place dustbins at different places
in the city so that people do not throw garbage here and there but throw garbage in the
dustbins. The same dustbin will have three parts, one for organic waste, the other for plastic
waste and the other for glass or metal waste. If all the people of our country are told to
separate their waste and throw it in the dustbins, it will be very difficult for them and there are
many people who will throw garbage here and there even in the presence of dustbins.
So if we can convince 100% of people to throw garbage in the dustbin, that will be a big success
for us, and the day we achieve this success, then we can convince people to separate their
waste and throw it in the dustbin.
There are different of waste. For example
1. Household Waste (food waste, plastic waste, paper waste, daily using product’s waste
etc.)
2. Medical Waste (hospital waste, medicine waste etc.)
3. Industrial Waste (Chemicals, hazardous waste, small sizes of cloth, paper and other
things)
And other waste.
To transport those kind of waste we can use various method
1. Municipal trucks for household waste. (We can use one to two truck for 120 km2 so for
the whole country we will need 1300 to 2500 trucks or less)
2. Specialized vehicles for hazardous or medical waste. (Number of the vehicles depends
on uses but in average five vehicles for a whole district is enough)
3. Conveyor belts and pipelines in industrial setups.
Since fuel based trucks are harmful for the environment in that case we can use electric truck for
the transportation
After transportation of waste, now we have to process the waste.
And we call this process “trash to treasure process”
The process begins with focusing on the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. The collected
waste is transferred to the facility where it is sorted and deposited into a storage pit. The waste
is then fed into the combustion system using mechanical equipment, ensuring steady and safe
input.
Combustion occurs in a furnace where waste is burned at high temperatures. This generates
heat energy, which is used in the next steps. Residues like bottom ash, which consist of noncombustible materials, are collected for further processing and potential recycling.
The heat produced from combustion converts water into steam in a boiler. The steam powers a
turbine, which drives a generator to produce electricity. This electricity is then distributed to
the grid, providing renewable energy for homes and businesses.
To reduce air pollution, the exhaust gases from combustion undergo several treatment
processes:
1. Spray Dryer: Neutralizes acidic gases.
2. Bag House: Captures particulate matter like fly ash.
During combustion, waste is burned at high temperatures to reduce its volume and generate
heat energy.
The burning process produces exhaust gases containing a mixture of substances, including:
Carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Sulfur oxides (SOx),
Particulate matter (ash), Toxic chemicals like dioxins and heavy metals etc.
The first step to separating CO2 begins with capturing and treating these gases before they are
released into the environment.
The disadvantage of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon is their significant contribution to climate
change, primarily through the greenhouse effect, leading to rising global temperatures, sea
level rise, extreme weather events, ocean acidification, and potential disruption to ecosystems
and food security.
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The hot gases produced in the combustion chamber are passed through a cooling
system, often water-based, to lower their temperature. This ensures the gases can be
treated effectively without damaging the treatment equipment.
Scrubbing Systems are used to remove particulate matter and acidic gases (e.g., SOx and
NOx) from the exhaust gases.
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Spray Dryers: Alkaline solutions, such as lime or sodium bicarbonate, are sprayed into
the gas stream. These react with acidic gases and neutralize them. This step ensures
that the gas stream entering carbon separation systems is cleaner and less corrosive.
Activated Carbon Injection: Activated carbon is injected into the gas stream to absorb
harmful pollutants like dioxins, mercury, and other toxic substances. Activated carbon
works due to its porous structure, which provides a large surface area to trap pollutants.
Once the CO2 is separated, it is either stored or reused:
1. Storage: CO2 is compressed into a liquid state and injected into deep geological
formations (e.g., saline aquifers or depleted oil fields) for long-term storage.
2. Utilization: The captured CO2 can be repurposed for industrial use, such as producing
carbonated beverages, synthetic fuels, or enhancing plant growth in greenhouses.
3. Induction Fans: After all the treatment processes, clean gases, including water vapor
and safe levels of CO2, are released into the atmosphere through a controlled system.
Continuous monitoring ensures that emissions meet environmental regulations and that CO2 is
effectively managed.
By using advanced technologies like activated carbon and chemical absorption, waste
management plants reduce the greenhouse effect and contribute to climate change mitigation.
This step is critical as CO2 is a major contributor to global warming. The separation of CO2 and
other pollutants ensures that waste management plants are environmentally sustainable. The
captured CO2 can be stored or utilized, reducing its impact on the atmosphere. This multi-step
process allows waste-to-energy plants to not only manage waste but also minimize their carbon
footprint effectively.
The process generates several useful by-products:
1. Electricity for homes and industries.
2. Heating and Desalination for additional utility.
3. By-products like aggregates (from bottom ash) and recyclable metals.
Water vapor and treated CO2 are safely released, ensuring minimal environmental impact.
The bottom ash collected during combustion contains metals and other minerals. These are
sorted and recovered for recycling. Remaining ash can be used as construction material,
reducing the need for raw resources.
There are many ways to recycle the waste that we can recycle.
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new, usable products. This prevents
valuable resources from ending up in landfills. It also plays a key role in reducing pollution and
conserving the environment.
There are many types of waste that can be recycled, including:
1. Plastic waste: Bottles, containers, and packaging materials.
(After melting plastic waste together we can shape the melted plastic into different shapes and
use it in various field. For example, we can make various furniture by shaping the waste plastic
into planks. Instead of giving wooden benches in schools, we can make such plastic plank
benches, which will reduce the number of trees cut and we will be able to use these benches
for a long time.)
2. Paper and cardboard: Newspapers, office paper, and boxes.
(Instead of using plastic bags we can use paper bags which can be made by those paper waste)
3. Metal waste: Aluminum cans, steel, and scrap metals.
(After separating different types of metals, we can recycle those metals by melting. Those
melted metals can be used in various field)
4. Glass waste: Bottles and jars.
(Glass waste can be melted and by using those melted glass we can make different types of
things like showpiece, glass crust, plate, glass etc.)
5. Organic waste: Food scraps and garden waste.
(Organic waste can be composted and we can make organic fertilizer from it)
Most of the waste can be recycled and if we can recycle 50% of our waste that will be a huge
success for us. We think recycling of waste is more important than getting rid of the waste.
And this is the plan of our one big step.