Evaluation of energy sources from municipal solid waste of Gujranwala city in Pakistan

Abstract

The worldwide atmosphere has been seriously deteriorating due to the poor handling of waste produced in order to get useful products for achieving the high living standards and technological development. Therefore, waste management is a serious concern to avoid ecological damage. Methane gas generated on waste landfill sites is the source of greenhouse gas that is prime contributors to environmental degradation. The main intention is to measure the amount of methane gas produced from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) at the site of Bakhrewali in the Cantonment (Rahwali), Gujranwala, Pakistan and to estimate the extent of energy that potentially could be retrieved from the MSW site. The waste samples were gathered to evaluate the energy content, composition, and methane concentration. The findings from the MSW characterization revealed that the primary constituent of Bahrewali site, Gujranwala MSW is organic waste. The concentration of methane from sites 1, 2 and 3 were analysed to be 118.45, 35.32, 48.26 ppm methane/g waste. The calorific value of samples 1, 2 and 3 were determined to be 13.45, 12.24, and 11.01 MJ/kg respectively. The outcomes confirm that there is production of methane at the waste sites and the municipal waste could be utilized for energy recovery. The analysis of samples collected from MSW sites shows that there is great potential in the waste to be combusted and used for electricity generation.