Municipal Solid Waste Gasification: Technologies, Process Parameters, and Sustainable Valorization of By-Products in a Circular Economy

Nicoleta Ungureanu, Nicolae-Valentin Vlăduț (), Sorin-Ștefan Biriș, Mariana Ionescu () and Neluș-Evelin Gheorghiță
Additional contact information
Nicoleta Ungureanu: Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Nicolae-Valentin Vlăduț: National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013813 Bucharest, Romania
Sorin-Ștefan Biriș: Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Mariana Ionescu: Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Neluș-Evelin Gheorghiță: Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-49

Abstract: Gasification of municipal solid waste and other biogenic residues (e.g., biomass and biowaste) is increasingly recognized as a promising thermochemical pathway for converting non-recyclable fractions into valuable energy carriers, with applications in electricity generation, district heating, hydrogen production, and synthetic fuels. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of major gasification technologies, including fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained flow, plasma, supercritical water, microwave-assisted, high-temperature steam, and rotary kiln systems. Key aspects such as feedstock compatibility, operating parameters, technology readiness level, and integration within circular economy frameworks are critically evaluated. A comparative assessment of incineration and pyrolysis highlights the environmental and energetic advantages of gasification. The valorization pathways for main product (syngas) and by-products (syngas, ash, tar, and biochar) are also explored, emphasizing their reuse in environmental, agricultural, and industrial applications. Despite progress, large-scale adoption in Europe is constrained by economic, legislative, and technical barriers. Future research should prioritize scaling emerging systems, optimizing by-product recovery, and improving integration with carbon capture and circular energy infrastructures. Supported by recent European policy frameworks, gasification is positioned to play a key role in sustainable waste-to-energy strategies, biomass valorization, and the transition to a low-emission economy.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; waste-to-energy; gasification; technology readiness level; syngas; ash; tar; biochar; environment; agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6704/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6704/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6704-:d:1708092

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().