Energy potential of solid waste generated at a tertiary institution: Estimations and challenges

Abstract

Waste to energy (WtE) refers to any treatment process that creates energy in the form of electricity or heat from a waste source. This research reviews the potential uses of municipal solid waste generated at the University of Lagos, Akoka campus as a sustainable energy source for the tertiary institution. Waste characterization study of the residual waste at the University’s sorting centre was conducted to de-termine the amount, composition and physical properties of the waste. A novel com-positional trending ratio (CTR) was used to evaluate the possible calorific variation in samples using ASTMD3286-77 method. A validation of the experimental results was carried out using energy estimation model described by Smith and Scott (2005) and World Bank (1999). The major components of the residual waste were mainly polythene materials (24%), inert (30%), organic waste (15%), and paper (15%). The average calorific value of 17.23 MJ/kg and moisture content of 41.3% could poten-tially generate 34, 787 kWh daily (about 48.32% of the 72,000 kWh energy demand of the University). There was no significant statistical difference between experimental energy estimation of samples and model energy values (p < 0.001) and a Relative Percent Difference (RPD) < 3% (experimental energy 1112.1MJ/Kg, model value 1108.3 MJ/Kg). The major challenge to adopting WtE technology is the gap in daily tonnage of waste generated which can be overcome through collaborative solid waste management program with closed neighborhood and tertiary institution. The findings provide resourceful information on sustainable management of waste generated for a typical tertiary institution.