Urban Energy Systems

9Energy from Urban Waste: A Mysterious Opportunity for Energy Generation Potential

Shivangini Sharma and Ashutosh Tripathi*

Amity Institute of Environmental Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Solid waste management has been one of the most pressing issues faced by humanity, especially in urban areas. The modern-day lifestyle has led to increased waste production. Population explosion and migration to urban areas is the reason behind failed management practices. Before the concept of “engineered landfills” came into the picture, heaps of municipal solid waste had already been created in developing countries. These landfill sites have long been considered overburdened and overloaded, but the dumping of waste continues. One of the most practical concepts for dealing with this waste is its utilization for obtaining energy. Various advanced technologies such as methane capture technology, plasma-pyrolysis, gasification, incineration, bio-methanation, etc., have the capability to extract useful energy from this legacy waste. All these processes work on different components of municipal solid waste. One of the most important aspects of treating municipal solid waste is the type of pollutants it releases during these processes. It is a matter of research to curb this sort of pollution. This chapter talks about how the global, as well as local scenario of municipal solid waste management, has altered over time. Also, there ...