ENERGY GENERATION FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE AND THE CURRENT SCENARIO OF BIOGAS RECOVERY IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The landfill is a method of treatment and final disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) widely employed all over the world, mainly in developing countries. The biogas released from landfills raises environmental concerns, as it contributes to the greenhouse effect, due to its high content of methane and carbon dioxide, and in relation to the potential damage to health caused to the surrounding populations of these areas. However, biogas has a great energy potential, representing economic and environmental advantages, making the waste disposal in landfills more sustainable in relation to these economic and environmental aspects. In Brazil, few landfills are technically prepared in recovering energy from biogas, which may be encouraged by the new Solid Waste National Policy, which aims to fit the landfills to the technical criteria of engineering, as well as to provide appropriate instructions on the waste management throughout its life cycle. The present review deals with the process of biogas generation based on municipal solid waste and some techniques that provide quantitative data on the biogas emission, and also the current scenario in Brazil related to the energy recovery from such source of bioenergy and its future potentialities.