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ISSN 2063-5346
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Characterization of Metropolitan Solid Waste for Nepal's Waste to Energy

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Sudikshya Karki, Priyanka Mehta
» doi: 10.48047/ecb/2023.12.si7.752

Abstract

The current Metropolitan Solid Waste Management system (MSWM) in Biratnagar Metropolitan city is outmoded and too conventional. Biratnagar’s MSWM is restricted to trash collection, transportation, and disposal in dump sites, all of which have a detrimental effect on the environment and the community at large. Additionally, garbage that was produced was improperly categorized, causing all of the recyclable, reusable, and organic waste to be mixed with other hazardous material before being dumped. Given that organic waste makes up a sizable chunk of MSW, there is a tremendous potential for energy generation with WtE technology. Therefore, the goal of this study is to characterize MSW in order to assess the Waste to Energy (WtE) production potential of BMC, aid BMC in choosing appropriate WtE technologies, and help BMC create proper and successful SSWM plans. The average amount of garbage produced per person in BMC is 316.74 grams, with a total MSW creation of 110 tons per day. Furthermore, it was discovered that the majority of Biratnagar's MSW, or 62.133% of the total, was organic trash, which has a high potential for energy recovery. Plastic waste came next, at 15.20%, followed by paper waste at 14.39% and other waste at 8.24%. According to the calculations, each ton of BMC MSW has the capacity to produce 16.24 million Btu of heat, or theoretically 4.75 MWh of energy every day. Similar to how paper waste has a theoretical capacity of 553.18 KWh whereas plastic garbage currently has a potential of 1017.913 KWh. In a similar vein, the BMC's biodegradable garbage has the ability to annually produce 13*103 m3 of biogas, which contains about 11*105 m3 of methane (CH4). Additionally, the methane gas produced daily by the anaerobic digestion of organic waste perhaps utilized to create around 1.06MWh of power each day. The study's conclusions include that for organic waste, AD is the most effective and environmentally friendly WtE method, while BMC incineration is the best choice for plastic and paper trash. This study also created a brand-new MSWM framework for BMC that incorporates WtE technology for energy recovery. This component is anticipated to greatly lessen environmental and public health problems in addition to lowering garbage and its GHG emissions from landfills. It will also produce renewable energy at the same time, which will help BMC meet its energy needs.

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