Review of Waste to Energy Projects in Developing Countries

Waste to Energy (WTE) projects have been running successfully in many countries but have produced only mixed results in developing and have often been plagued with controversies. This is due to various technical, financial, environmental, political and social factors involved. Hallam Energy at Sheffield Hallam University was commissioned by the Government of India, to conduct a detailed independent investigation into the techno-economic feasibility of such a WTE project in Delhi. The goals of this study were (i) to make an informed decision on whether the proposed WTE facility for Delhi will be technically and financially viable, and (ii) to gain a reasonable understanding of the costs and resources involved in this investment. This work looks at the various challenges associated in setting up WTE plants in developing countries and address key findings including: 1. The capacity of the plant, 2. The capital cost, 3. The electrical power output, 4. Land area requirement, 5. Site selection for the plant, 6. The choice of processes and pre-processing of the feed, 7. Feasibility of trigeneration or CHP, 8. Choice of technologies and equipment, 9. Financial models, 10. Emissions of pollutants, 11. Lessons learnt from past WTE projects in India.