Abstract:
Municipal solid waste (MSW), together with other biomass resources, presents a viable feedstock for renewable energy production;
however, its direct conversion is limited by high moisture content, ash content, and heterogeneous composition. These challenges
can be mitigated through torrefaction, provided that suitable feedstock selection and optimization are achieved. This study
investigates the physicochemical and thermal characteristics of MSW, cofee husks (CH), corn cobs (CC), and their blends to
demonstrate how biomass quality can be improved through blending. MSW was blended with CH or CC at mass ratios of 25:75, 50:
50, and 75:25 (db/db%). Proximate, ultimate, lignocellulosic, thermogravimetric, and calorifc value analyses were conducted.
Proximate analysis showed that MSW had the highest moisture (10.102 � 0.141%), volatile matter (71.115 � 0.759%), and ash
content (6.674 � 0.477%), whereas CH exhibited the highest fxed carbon content (18.863 � 0.572%). Ultimate analysis revealed
that MSW contained the highest hydrogen content (6.911 � 0.183%), CH had the highest carbon content (50.001 � 0.184%), and CC
showed the highest oxygen (44.185 � 0.273%), nitrogen (1.395 � 0.045%), and sulfur (0.057 � 0.035%) contents. MSW had the
lowest hemicellulose (11.941 � 0.269%) and cellulose (19.334 � 0.294%) contents, while CC had the lowest lignin content
(12.304 � 0.219%). The calorifc value of MSW (17.01 � 0.292 MJ kg�1 ) increased upon blending, reaching up to
17.59 � 0.241 MJ kg�1 . Thermogravimetric analysis indicated enhanced thermal degradation rates with increasing MSW content in
the blends. In conclusion, blending MSW with agricultural residues signifcantly improves its physicochemical and thermal
properties, enhancing its suitability for torrefaction. The 25MSW75CH blend demonstrated the most favorable characteristics and
is recommended as an optimal feedstock for torrefaction-based waste-to-energy applications at industrial scale.
