Municipal solid waste to energy generation: An approach for enhancing climate co-benefits in the urban areas of Bangladesh

Ever-growing scarcity of land resources around the world brands the waste to energy (WtE) strategy as a promising option for municipal solid waste (MSW) management. WtE conversion not only reduce the land pressure problem in urban areas, but also generate electricity and heat to supply to the surrounding urban areas. Moreover it also warrants climate benefits by avoiding fossil fuel based energy. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the MSW renewable energy potential and climate benefits through carbon reduction in Bangladesh using WtE strategies for urban area waste management. The study is conducted based on the waste generation of 7 major city corporation, 308 municipalities and 208 other urban areas in Bangladesh. Energy potential of different WtE strategy is assessed using standard energy conversion model and subsequent greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions models. GHG emission avoidance is also estimated based on coal based electricity displacement and avoidance from existing MSW management practices. Six different WtE scenarios are evaluated consisting of mixed MSW incineration and landfill gas (LFG) recovery systems. The total projected GHG emission observed within the range of 3.45-4.68 million MT CO2eq and 5.45-9.59 million MT CO2eq by 2030 and 2050, respectively under BAU scenario. The projected highest total renewable electricity generation potential from MSW in Bangladesh observed within the range of 4173.90-5645.30 GWh by 2030, and 6582.48-11579.12 GWh by 2050. Renewable electricity potential in Dhaka is highest (1399.56-712.86 GWh) followed by Chittagong (762.74-900.24 GWh) by 2030, with associated GHG avoidance of 1.18-1.44 and 0.64-0.76 million t CO2eq, respectively. Scenario A(1) provides the highest economic gain with energy potential and net negative GHG emissions. The study proposes mixed MSW incineration as a potential source of renewable electricity to ensure climate friendly urban area management in Bangladesh.