Energy Recovery from Urban Solid Wastes – a Case Study

Energy recovery from Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) generated in New Delhi is studied. The two options available viz., recovery of Biogas and energy due to the firing of MSW as fuel are reviewed. Continuous recovery of energy from the city’s MSW through Biogas needs a lot of planning with respect to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of landfills. The yield of Biogas with respect to the age of landfills is often a limitation for planning purposes. Electric power Generation (EPG) by firing MSW as fuel in the boiler-steam-turbine system is considered. The expected EPG from the city’s MSW is composed using the calorific value is calculated from its composition and the one reported in literature. The results show that, the EPG is directly proportional to the calorific value of MSW fired, following an empirical relation. For encouraging results, it is suggested that, the combustible organic wastes be segregated from the MSW stream.