Environmental Final year Project -Civil Engineering Department University of Salahaddin Thermal conversion of solid wastes includes transformation of wastes into gaseous, liquids and solid conversion products the process also generates energy due to burning of waste material . Thermal processing also results in waste volume reduction Incineration, Pyrolysis and Gasification are the techniques commonly employed for thermal conversion 1.Incineration : this process needs sufficient quantity of oxygen, its volume reduction about 96 % , combustion temperatures are in excess of 850 oC . 2.Pyrolysis: this process doesn't need oxygen .This process requires an external heat source to maintain the temperature required. Typically, lower temperatures of between 300 oC to 850 oC are used 3.Gasification: Gasification can be considered a process between pyrolysis and combustion in that it involves the partial oxidation of a substance. The temperatures employed are typically above 650°C. 4.Plasma Arc Gasification: It’s a waste treatment method that uses electrical energy and the high temperatures created by electrical arc in a closed vessel / reactor. The temperatures employed are typically( between 5000 to 14000 oC). Methods/Process Students: Supervised by Asst.Prof.Dr. Shoker Qarani Aziz Erbil landfill site (ELS) which is situated in Kani-Qarzhala which is 15 Km away from the city center. It was opened in 2001 as an anaerobic sanitary landfill. A sanitary landfill site is An engineered landfill used for disposal of solid wastes .The main requirement in designing a sanitary landfill is the availability of vacant land that is accessible to the community and has the capacity to handle waste materials for several years The major problem in sanitary landfill is the formation of leachate which carries many suspended and dissolved impurities in it. It's necessary to control this leachate flow and prevent it from mixing with ground water. Municipal solid waste (MSW) known as garbage or trash, it consist of furniture, clothing, paper, food etc. MSW is normally assumed to include all the wastes generated by the community except the industrial wastes. Landfilling has been shown to be the most economic MSW disposal method Background It can be seen that the amount of food waste ( ≈ 80% ) is very high and it reflects the life style, economical situation , and environmental awareness. Additionally, the amounts of the recyclable materials were low, when compared with other developed areas. If the current components of Solid waste remains to be consisted mainly of organic (food wastes ) . Incineration will be the better alternative for Sanitary landfilling ,because of the limited percentage of recyclable materials. Conclusions Project Goals/Objectives 1. To check which method is the most suitable for our current and future needs 2. To examine the landfill leachate characteristics at ELS 3. To study the characteristics and components of MSW at ELS, Domestic solid waste at different quarters in Erbil City.