Glossary:Mechanical biological treatment (MBT)
Mechanical biological treatment, abbreviated as MBT, is a process usually designed to recover materials for one or more purposes and to stabilise the organic fraction of the residual waste.
The practical advantages of MBT plants are, above all, the reduction of:
- the volumes of waste;
- the organic matter content of the waste, which is sent to final disposal (landfill or incineration).
Another purpose of mechanical biological treatment is material splitting for further processing (e.g. preparation of solid waste fuels). Biological digestion is intended to reduce the weight, and to render inert any biologically active organic materials (typically called ‘stabilised residue’).
Related concepts
- Incineration
- Landfill
- Recovery of waste
- Recycling of waste
- Reuse of waste
- Waste (including disposal of waste)