Green waste, an untapped energy source? Reviewing the prospect of green waste as a biomass energy source

Abstract

Previous research on the assessments of how best to handle the organic fraction of municipal solid waste have concluded that anaerobic digestion is the best waste treatment strategy. This is because the waste steams examined are predominantly made up of food waste. There has been a lack of consideration for green waste streams, which require a different handling approach. This paper offers the first step towards better utilization of green waste by systematically reviewing its potential as a biomass energy source. From a pool of over 770 studies, a collection of 18 studies with test results from 30 green waste samples was compiled. The analysis covers both separated green waste streams and mixed organic streams with high green waste fractions (<50 %), as well as different processing techniques such as screening and composting. The findings confirm that green waste could be a valuable biomass energy source, with separated green waste steams showing the highest potential.