Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review

The per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per day in Ghana is estimated to be 0.47 kg/person/day, which translates to over 14,000 tonnes of solid waste generation daily. The disposal and management of this amount of solid waste has been challenging worldwide, and in Ghana, this is eviden...

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Main Authors: Noah Yakah, Mahrokh Samavati, Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng, Andrew Martin, Anthony Simons
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-08-01
Series:Clean Technologies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/5/3/50
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author Noah Yakah
Mahrokh Samavati
Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng
Andrew Martin
Anthony Simons
author_facet Noah Yakah
Mahrokh Samavati
Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng
Andrew Martin
Anthony Simons
author_sort Noah Yakah
collection DOAJ
description The per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per day in Ghana is estimated to be 0.47 kg/person/day, which translates to over 14,000 tonnes of solid waste generation daily. The disposal and management of this amount of solid waste has been challenging worldwide, and in Ghana, this is evident with the creation of unsanitary dumping sites scattered across most communities in the country, especially urban communities. The indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in Ghana is known to cause flooding, the pollution of water bodies, and the spread of diseases. The purpose of this review is to highlight the prospects of waste incineration with energy recovery as a waste-to-energy (WtE) technology which has contributed immensely to the disposal and management of MSW in nations worldwide (especially developed ones). The review indicates that waste incineration with energy recovery is a matured waste-to-energy technology in developed nations, and there are currently about 492 waste incineration plants in operation in the EU, over 77 in operation in about 25 states in the USA, and about 1900 in operation in Japan. Waste incineration with energy recovery is also gradually gaining prominence in developing nations like China, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The adoption of waste incineration with energy technology can reduce Ghana’s overdependence on fossil fuels as primary sources of energy. It is, however, recommended that a techno-economic assessment of proposed waste incineration facilities is performed considering the MSW generated in Ghana. Additionally, it is also recommended that the possibility of incorporating the use of artificial intelligence technology into the management of MSW in Ghana be investigated.
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spelling doaj.art-bce58b1587fb49b1987aae1544c1f76d2023-11-19T10:05:39ZengMDPI AGClean Technologies2571-87972023-08-0153997101110.3390/cleantechnol5030050Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A ReviewNoah Yakah0Mahrokh Samavati1Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng2Andrew Martin3Anthony Simons4Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, GhanaDepartment of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, GhanaDepartment of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, GhanaThe per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per day in Ghana is estimated to be 0.47 kg/person/day, which translates to over 14,000 tonnes of solid waste generation daily. The disposal and management of this amount of solid waste has been challenging worldwide, and in Ghana, this is evident with the creation of unsanitary dumping sites scattered across most communities in the country, especially urban communities. The indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in Ghana is known to cause flooding, the pollution of water bodies, and the spread of diseases. The purpose of this review is to highlight the prospects of waste incineration with energy recovery as a waste-to-energy (WtE) technology which has contributed immensely to the disposal and management of MSW in nations worldwide (especially developed ones). The review indicates that waste incineration with energy recovery is a matured waste-to-energy technology in developed nations, and there are currently about 492 waste incineration plants in operation in the EU, over 77 in operation in about 25 states in the USA, and about 1900 in operation in Japan. Waste incineration with energy recovery is also gradually gaining prominence in developing nations like China, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The adoption of waste incineration with energy technology can reduce Ghana’s overdependence on fossil fuels as primary sources of energy. It is, however, recommended that a techno-economic assessment of proposed waste incineration facilities is performed considering the MSW generated in Ghana. Additionally, it is also recommended that the possibility of incorporating the use of artificial intelligence technology into the management of MSW in Ghana be investigated.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/5/3/50municipal solid wastewaste to energywaste incinerationdisposalmanagementthermal power plant
spellingShingle Noah Yakah
Mahrokh Samavati
Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng
Andrew Martin
Anthony Simons
Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
Clean Technologies
municipal solid waste
waste to energy
waste incineration
disposal
management
thermal power plant
title Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
title_full Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
title_fullStr Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
title_full_unstemmed Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
title_short Prospects of Waste Incineration for Improved Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management in Ghana—A Review
title_sort prospects of waste incineration for improved municipal solid waste msw management in ghana a review
topic municipal solid waste
waste to energy
waste incineration
disposal
management
thermal power plant
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/5/3/50
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