Characterization of Municipal Solid waste’s Potential for Power Generation at Mekelle City as a Waste Minimisation strategy

Waste to energy concept is one of the best methods, which not only consider the environment but also generate energy from municipal solid waste (MSW). Generation of MSWs at Mekelle city, Ethiopia, has grown steadily mainly due to migration of people from rural areas. However, the waste has not been managed and utilised as a useful resource due to lack of awareness and proper technology in the city. The objective of this study was to measure the heat content of solid waste generated in the city. Measurement of heating value was performed on collected samples using bomb calorimeter and Dulong’s formula. The average heating values obtained from the experimental analysis were 17,001 kJ/kg. The energy content obtained from the elemental composition of waste using Dulong’s formula was 16,853 kJ/kg. These results indicate that it could be possible to generate 8.7 MW of power from the solid waste composition represented by the sample; it is a good potential to alleviating the power shortage and interruption problems in the city. The results of this study could be used for design considerations in the selection and establishment of waste to energy technology in Mekelle city.