Feasibility energy recovery potential of municipal solid waste in Northwest of Iran

Aims: The goal of this study was the ultimate analysis and chemical composition of SW for energy recovery in Urmia city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was done on municipal SW in Urmia city, northwest of Iran. The samples were collected during the four seasons of a year. Experiments were analyzed according to the American Society for testing and Materials (ASTM) Method D 5231-92. The chemical composition of the SW was calculated, to determine the quantity of produced biogas and heat value. Results: The findings showed that food waste percent had been 68.9%, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) 18.33, containing 10.4% ash and 54% moisture. The calculated chemical composition of organic SW was (C_27.7 H_43.1O_15.3 N₁S_0,065) with a heat value of the 2.2 × 10⁴ Kj/Kg. The produced methane and heat value of the biodegradable organic SW, chemical formula C _23.63 H _37.52 O _14.65 N ₁ S _0.069 , were 212 liters (151 g) and 9992 Kj per 1 Kg of SW. Conclusions: The recovery of SW energy through incineration was a better choice, due to the high heat value. However, it would produce more than 300 tons/day of greenhouse and poison gases, but land filling produced 200 tons/day of different gases. Thus, on the basis of the calculated SW composition in this research, it seemed that energy recovery through methane collection was a better option for this study area.