Assessing the combustion behaviors and kinetics of municipal solid waste in Malang City, Indonesia: Parametric analysis for sustainable energy nexus

This study investigated the essential combustion behavior of Malang City’s municipal solid waste (MSW) and its kinetic parameters. The effect of non-isothermal heating on the mass loss was investigated using a thermal analyzer at 10, 20, 30, and 40 °C/min heating rates. The apparent activation energies were examined using the isoconversional method of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) and Vyazovkin, and the reaction order was determined using the Avrami theory. The results indicated that the MSW decomposed in three stages during non-isothermal heating, and the overall temperature for initial decomposition, the temperature at which the maximum mass loss rate occurs, and the temperature of burnout all increased with an escalating heating rate. The mean activation energies calculated by FWO and Vyazovkin for the second stage were 165.50 and 164.52 kJ/mol, respectively. In that order for the third stage, the mean activation energies were 127.76 and 122.46 kJ/mol. These findings have substantial significance in the effort to provide sustainable energy, considering the large amount of MSW that remains untapped. They will also be helpful in the development of a power generation reactor design through MSW that is better suited to the thermal characteristics of the samples, given that the MSW combustion process involves a complex reaction mechanism. • The effects of non-isothermal heating on the combustion characteristics and kinetics of Malang City's MSW were studied. • Apparent activation energy variation with conversion degree was analyzed using FWO and Vyazovkin methods. • The reaction order illustrating the complex thermochemical process of the material was analyzed using the Avrami theory. • The significance of a technology's technical maturity for its effective use was emphasized.