Bioenergy from waste

Using waste biomass to produce energy can reduce the use of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pollution and waste management problems. A recent publication by the European Union highlighted the potential for waste-derived bioenergy to contribute to the reduction of global warming. The report concluded that 19 million tons of oil equivalent is available from biomass by 2020, 46% from bio-wastes: municipal solid waste (MSW), agricultural residues, farm waste and other biodegradable waste streams.[2][3]

Landfill sites generate gases as the waste buried in them undergoes anaerobic digestion. These gases are known collectively as landfill gas: this can be burned and is a source of renewable energy. Landfill gas (LFG) can be burned either directly for heat or to generate electricity for public consumption. Landfill gas contains approximately 50 percent methane, the same gas that is found in natural gas.

If landfill gas is not harvested, it escapes into the atmosphere: this is not desirable because methane is a greenhouse gas, with more global warming potential than carbon dioxide. [4][5] Over a timespan of 100 years, methane has a global warming potential of 23 relative to CO2. [4] Therefore, during this time, one ton of methane produces the same greenhouse gas (GHG) effect as 23 tons of CO2. When methane burns the formula is CH4 + 2O2 = CO2 + 2H2O. So by harvesting and burning landfill gas, its global warming potential is reduced a factor of 23, in addition to providing energy for heat and power.

PhD Frank Keppler and PhD Thomas Rockmann discovered that living plants also produce methane CH4. [citation needed] The amount of methane produced by living plants is 10 to 100 times greater than that produced by dead plants but does not increase global warming because of the carbon cycle.

Anaerobic digestion can be used as a distinct waste management strategy to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and generate methane, or biogas. Any form of biomass can be used in anaerobic digestion and will break down to produce methane, which can be harvested and burned to generate heat, power or to power certain automotive vehicles.
A 3 MW landfill power plant would power 1,900 homes. It would eliminate 6,000 tons per year of methane from getting into the environment. It would eliminate 18,000 tons per year of CO2 from fossil fuel replacement. This is the same as removing 25,000 cars from the road, or planting 36,000 acres (146 km²) of forest, or not using 305,000 barrels of oil per year.

(sharifah norazira)