Determination of Electric Energy from Municipal Solid Wastes: A Case Study of Auchi Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The electric energy problem and environmental degradation are
currently two vital issues affecting the development of Auchi
metropolis. Rapid industrialization and high population growth in
Auchi has led to the migration of people from neighboring villages
to the metropolis which in turns increases the generation rate of
municipal solid waste in the area. This is one of the important
contributing factors for environmental degradation at national level.
Municipal solid waste management is one of the major
environmental problems of Auchi metropolis. Consequently, the
Auchi metropolis has serious problem of electricity, load shedding is
now impractical as living standards are become a great barrier in
socio-economic growth. This study was carried out in Auchi
metropolis to make municipal solid waste management more
effective and efficient, in-site specific study was carried out which
help to established 100 waste collection points in the metropolis
under investigation. The waste generated was collected daily in each
zone, sorted, and individual component were weighed and recorded.
This help to determined how much net weight, percentage of weight
and total weight of waste generated in the metropolis. The waste
components are food waste of 92.8%, plastics waste of 48.1%, paper
waste of 47.4%, garden trimming waste of 37.1%, textile waste of
28.8%, wood waste of 16.5%, and tin cans waste of 28.0%. From the
results, it was discovered that food waste has the highest waste of
92.8% which has adverse effect on the lives of the people in the
metropolis. Using standard table of ultimate analysis for chemical
composition of waste component, chemical composition of each
waste element and the amount of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, sulfur, and ash content for each type of waste was
determined. Dulong’s formula was used to determined Heat Energy
and Net Electrical Energy from the waste components generated
from the Auchi metropolis solid waste that resulted to be 48MW or
1146MWh per day which fulfills 8% of the energy demand (580MW)
of the metropolis. It was found that energy generation from
Municipal Solid Waste is an alternative way of solving electricity
problem as well as waste management in the metropolis.