Asia Al-Taqa Al-Mutajadida for Environmental Solutions treats solid and semi-solid wastes collected from houses and residential areas in the Sulaymaniyah city in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, including similar waste in terms of nature, composition, and from the activities of offices, public institutions, commercial, industrial activities, street waste, etc. The mentioned wastes do not include hazardous materials such as medical or chemical waste. Certainly, waste and debris resulting from various construction activities are not included.
The problem of managing solid waste for municipal cities – Sulaymaniyah city as an example
The issue of waste management in the city of Sulaymaniyah, like in all cities of Iraq, has become a serious and a complex problem for several years, threatening the city's environment and the future of the city, as well as posing a danger to the health of citizens.
For several decades, solid wastes have been collected from the city and dumped in the Tanjaro area in an unorganized manner, never to mention that Tanjaro district is located at a short distance from the city center and in the vicinity of habituated areas, without providing appropriate procedure and means for treating this waste. This often leads to soil, surface water, groundwater pollution, and deteriorates the ecosystem of other natural elements. Additionally, the fire ignition possibilities of the buried wastes were always high and the emission of harmful and toxic gases that spread in the air pose a direct threat to the health of the residents in Tanjaro periphery, especially with the expansion of the city and the construction of new residential areas and industrial buildings near the mentioned landfill area.
Overview of the Solid Waste Treatment Plant and Production of Alternative Fuels in Sulaymaniyah
Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) is used in cement factories, power generation stations, and other industries as a substitute of traditional fuel (such as Heavy Fuel Oil). The method chosen by the company is considered one of the best and most cost-effective methods in the waste treatment management field.
The plant was designed to treat 500,000 tons/year to accommodate the expected increase in solid waste quantities due to population growth. Several main objectives were taken into consideration in the plant design criteria:
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Providing a model solution to cover the treatment of all solid wastes of the city, with a minimal amount of inert material
by-products sent to the sanitary landfill (≤15% of the received waste).
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Plant expansion potency to treat other waste types, such as old waste dumped in the landfill area that belongs to the municipality by-products sent to the sanitary landfill (≤15% of the received waste).
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Producing the highest possible amount of alternative fuel (RDF).
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Area preservation by reducing the quantity of materials to be landfilled to ≤15% of the total received waste, saving space
by a factor of 6.5.
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Minimizing environmental risks to urban areas, soil, surface water, groundwater, and other natural elements, as well as reducing the risk of fires in landfill areas and the associated harmful toxic gases.