Technical and Economic Analysis of Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste in Yola Metropolis, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

There has been an increase in the general spending and consumption habit of people, the consequence of which is an increase in the quantity of municipal solid wastes (MSW) being generated particularly in urban areas. Yola, the capital of Adamawa State in the northeast region of Nigeria an urban area also has its share of problems associated with solid wastes management. In addition, the city like most other cities in Nigeria experiences inadequate electricity supply. Hence the need for this research - to assess the technical and economic potentials of recovering energy from the MSW generated in Yola using incineration as the technology of choice. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method (ASTM D5231) was used to sample and characterise the waste disposed of in the city’s dumpsites. It was found that the average calorific value of the MSW disposed of in the city’s dumpsite is 1,515.67 kcal/kg. It was also found that if incineration is used as the preferred waste-to-energy technology, a total of 3,748.60 kW of electrical energy could be recovered from the three dumpsites studied. The economic analysis conducted showed that energy recovery via incineration has an average internal rate of return (IRR) of 252%. The following conclusions were drawn from the results obtained: The quantity and composition of MSW disposed of at dumpsites in Yola is suitable for energy generation via incineration; from an economic perspective, incineration of MSW is a viable waste-to-energy technology for Yola.