Municipal solid waste generation and the current state of waste-to-energy potential: State of art review

The extraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) provides a significant opportunity to manage MSW while bolstering energy security. As a result, research in this area has gained traction over the last few decades. It appears that this route carries the potential to reshape the future of energy and environmental management. However, the technological, socio-economic, and legal challenges are the stumbling blocks that need to be overcome for the successful implementation of such technology. Therefore, this effort reviews the available literature to gather pertinent information on the benefits and limitations of the existing conventional and non-conventional MSW management methods, the challenges involved in their large-scale implementation, the opportunities that such technologies can create, and the governmental policies that need to be in effect to foster their implementation. To provide some perspective, this review presents the case studies from Brazil, India, and New Zealand where these technologies have been implemented with varying levels of success. A thorough comparison of these case studies should potentially highlight the areas of major concern that hinder WtE implementation. Overall, MSW management via WtE routes, e.g., chemical, biological, and thermal, are more effective at MSWM than conventional methods. It also becomes evident that MSW statistics (generation, accumulation, composition, etc.) can vary significantly based on geographical location, socio-economic factors, etc. Therefore, concrete strategies, perspectives, and roadmaps will be necessary to select the best technology for each situation. Finally, large-scale implementation of these WtE technologies would necessitate economic incentives and favorable governmental policies.