Environmental Friendly Ways to Generate Renewable Energy from Municipal Solid Waste
Abstract Economic growth and rapid urbanization are resulting into increase in generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) In India, approximately 68 MT of MSW generated annually in urban areas and more than 80% is disposed in unhygienic manner leading to problems of health and environment to inhabitants. To manage MSW, there is a need to plan infrastructure development. There are many technologies available for handling MSW which treat plastic to convert fuel oil by gasification, pyrolysis, biomethanation and catalytic conversions. The useful products like liquid fuels, chemicals and power are being generated through these processes. The final products need to comply with environmental regulations and demand a lot of technological improvement. Based on MSW/feed quality, there is a need to identify the suitable technology for converting MSW into useful products, which can meet the statuary regulations. Hence, treating MSW, converting into useful products and selection of suitable technology is a big challenge. The present paper focuses to compare: All suitable treatment technologies and products generated from MSW. Types of thermal treatments like combustion/incineration, gasification and pyrolysis. It also highlights development of a systematic approach to comply with all environmental regulations to create value for all types of MSW and reduce landfill.