Analysis of a landfill gas to energy system at the municipal solid waste landfill in Gaziantep, Turkey

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the electricity generation from municipal solid waste (MSW), via landfill gas valorization technology, at the landfill of Gaziantep City, Turkey. Rapid increase in population, and industrial developments, throughout the world including Turkey results in larger amount of waste materials generated, increased need for energy, and adverse affects on the environment and human health. Turkey plans to produce 1/3 of its electricity demand using renewable energy sources by the year of 2023. It is recommended to use each year around 25 million tonnes of the MSW generated nationwide for a renewable energy supply. In this study, a concise summary of current status of electricity generation from a MSW landfill gas plant (via biogas harnessing) located in Gaziantep City was analyzed as a case study.Implcatons:MSW management has become a major challenge in Turkey, due to the increase in the amount of solid waste, which causes negative environmental impact and results in suboptimal use of raw materials and energy. An implication of waste-to-energy technology from MSW has been applied successfully in Gaziantep, where total MSW generated has increased steadily over last 15 years. The study showed the importance and benefit of energy recovery from MSW in both economic and environmental issues in Turkey.