Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of degradable fraction of municipal solid waste

The aim of the present paper was to assess the maximum biochemical methane potential (BMP) of municipal solid waste. A fresh stock of the biodegradable fraction of municipal solid waste was composed based on the typical composition of biodegradable waste disposed at the landfill. BMP tests were performed under controlled conditions. The cumulative methane generation profile was corrected for methane generation attributed to inoculum and then normalized by dividing to the VS in each bottle. Modified three parameters Gompertz model was fitted to the observed cumulative methane values to obtain the ultimate methane potential of the waste samples. The result of this study showed that with an ultimate methane yield of 217 ± 6 (ml gVS-1), anaerobic digestion can be a promising approach to manage the organic fraction of MSW in an economical and environmental sound manner.