Energy production potential of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and its implications for Nigeria

Abstract

The issue of climate change and management of municipal solid waste (MSW) necessitates transition to renewable energy, including bioenergy. This work assessed energy production from organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) in the thirty-six state capitals and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Secondary research method (qualitative and quantitative analysis) was adopted. The four valorization methods considered were incineration, anaerobic digestion (AD), landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) and densification. MSW and OFMSW generation rate (kg/cap/day) for the thirty-six state capitals and the FCT, Abuja were obtained. The paper estimated that about 4.7 million tons per year (TPY) of OFMSW is generated in the 37 cities. Daily OFMSW generation ranges from 10416 tons per year (TPY) in Damaturu, to 1.6 million TPY in Lagos. The estimates show that about 1.82 billion Nm3 of biogas could be obtained from anaerobic digestion (AD) of OFMSW generated in the cities each year; about 984 Gg (1085688 tons) of methane can be recovered from the landfill gas technology, while drying and densification will produce about 1.82 million tons of solid fuel. Based on secondary sources, the cost per ton waste and emissions (kg/ton) processed were also presented.

Keywords

• energy production
• organic municipal solid waste
• renewable energy
• waste management
• sustainability
• nigeria