Rubbish or resources: An investigation of converting municipal solid waste (MSW) to bio-ethanol production

Abstract

An investigation into the possibility of replacing conventional biomass with biodegradable municipal solid waste (BMSW), which provides an alternative solution for preventing organic fraction of municipal solid waste going into landfill required by EU Landfill Directives (European Commission [1]) was carried out. The experimental results have shown that more than 85% of the cellulose from the waste can be converted to glucose, which can be easily fermented to ethanol production. The conversion rate is relatively high compared with other conventional biomass. Taking into account the existing waste collection system and the cost for disposing of waste, makes this waste-to-ethanol system economically valuable. However, every type of energy has some advantages as well as disadvantages. This paper identifies the potential impacts of using BMSW as bio-ethanol resources from the prospects of both energy development and waste management. The opportunities of MSW-to-ethanol as an alternative waste management are also discussed with the recommendation for further life cycle study.