Mechanical biological treatment and its role in Europe
Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) is a generic term for the integration of a number of waste management processes such as material recovery facilities (MRF), refuse derived fuel production (RDF), mechanical separation, sorting, composting and pasteurising.
The MBT process is designed for residual or black/grey bin waste and processes so that valuable recyclable material can be separated and the biomass or 'compostable†elements are separated and processed through an In Vessel Composting (IVC) or an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) system. MBT is often referred to 3 main types of MBT system which can process the organic element of the waste stream the aerobic stabilisation, anaerobic digestion and biological drying.
What all types have in common is a front end mechanical processing of the waste. This will be achieved through some form of shredding and additional treatment to separate the material from organic to non organic material. The differences are located in the type of biological treatment (aerobic or anaerobic) and the treatment target (stabilisation or drying to foster subsequent separation stages).
A common approach in continental Europe is the front-end separation of a refuse derived fuel RDF fraction which will be utilised in industrial processes like cement kilns, coal power plants, purpose built combustion facilities (e.g. to feed the energy to an industrial process) or in a mass burn incineration. The remaining material following the separation stage is enriched with easily degradable components like kitchen waste and 'dirty†paper, like tissues, which are not suitable for recycling. This material is then treated with an aerobic process (composting) where aerobic (oxygen breathing) bacteria and other micro-organisms digest organic wastes. The stabilised waste can be landfilled afterwards. An alternative, discussed in the UK and in some other countries in Europe, is a compost-like product that can be produced
through a post-refinement stage for limited and controlled application purposes.
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