چكيده لاتين
Identifying the qualitative components and characteristics of solid waste is a fundamental step toward establishing an integrated municipal and rural waste management system. The assessment of these waste profiles must account for influencing factors such as seasonal variations, climatic conditions, and temporal dynamics, as these significantly affect the physical and chemical composition of municipal and rural solid waste. Accordingly, this study aimed to collect and comprehensively analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of solid waste across various regions of Isfahan Province, taking into account the aforementioned environmental and temporal factors. In this research, a total of 221 physical and 41 chemical data sets on municipal and rural waste were collected, categorized, and statistically analyzed using SPSS software. The physical composition of the waste encompassed organic matter, recyclable materials, special waste, and construction debris, whereas the chemical analysis focused on parameters such as organic carbon, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, pH, ash content, and phosphorus levels. The statistical analysis indicated that the average proportion of municipal organic waste, the most significant fraction by weight, accounted for 72.4%, 68%, 74.5%, and 72.1% of the total waste generated in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. These values were estimated at 69%, 73.2%, and 71.5% for cold, semi-cold, and warm climates, respectively, and 70% and 74% for the two time periods (2004–2011) and (2012–2020). Moreover, rural waste profiles exhibited similar variability: organic waste accounted for 67.7%, 73.5%, 62.5%, and 71.1% across the four seasons, and 89.4%, 60.9%, and 73.1% in the years 2010, 2016, and 2020, respectively. The statistical results at the 95% confidence level indicated that the share of municipal organic waste in summer was lower than in autumn (sig.<0.05). Furthermore, the amount of municipal organic waste was lower than that of rural organic waste, which may be attributed to the higher proportion of agricultural residues in rural areas (sig.<0.05). In addition, temporal changes and lifestyle patterns simultaneously affected the quantities of municipal and rural organic and recyclable waste. Further analysis revealed that the average share of municipal special waste (as the hazardous fraction) in cold, semi-cold, and warm climates was 5.6%, 4.4%, and 3.3%, respectively. This suggests that special waste generation in colder climates was higher than in other climates, possibly due to the greater prevalence of diseases in colder regions (sig.<0.05). The chemical analysis results showed that the average organic carbon content, a critical chemical component, was 35.9% and 46.8% for municipal and rural waste, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (sig.<0.05). Overall, the results demonstrated that the organic carbon content of waste increased with a higher proportion of organic fractions. Based on these findings, which are rare at the national level, it is possible to estimate the percentages of different physical and chemical components of solid waste in Isfahan’s urban and rural areas across seasons and climates, without extensive sampling and laboratory analyses or with minimal efforts, thus supporting more effective waste management planning.
