Energy recovery technologies from municipal solid waste: enhancing solid waste Brazilian policy

Abstract

Public incentives play an important role in expanding the possibilities of using renewable energies, such as that generated from MSW (municipal solid waste) biomass, not only creating opportunities, but also several challenges. Thus, from the literature review, this paper aims to describe the feasibility (technical, economic, and environmental), potentialities, obstacles and readiness level of the technologies of energy generation from municipal solid waste. These technologies include the use of landfill gas, biogas generated by anaerobic digestion and direct burning of solid waste (incineration). Between the three technologies, landfill gas has greater economic viability, anaerobic digestion is classified as the most environmentally viable energy recovery technology, while incineration has the highest energy recovery potential. Regarding the readiness level of the technologies, incineration and anaerobic digestion are extensively used in Europe, United States and East Asia, while landfill gas is used extensively in the United States, Latin America and India. Moreover, the applicability of a technology should always have a set of factors into consideration (economic, environmental and technical), to be applied to local characteristics, in conjunction to other technologies.