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

Noah Yakah (), Mahrokh Samavati, Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng, Andrew Martin () and Anthony Simons
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Noah Yakah: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, Ghana
Mahrokh Samavati: Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Augustine Akuoko Kwarteng: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, Ghana
Andrew Martin: Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Anthony Simons: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa P.O. Box 237, Ghana

Clean Technol., 2023, vol. 5, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; waste to energy; waste incineration; disposal; management; thermal power plant; fossil fuels; primary sources of energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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