Assessment of the energy potential of waste destined for landfill CIGRES-RS

Managing urban solid waste (MSW) is challenging throughout the Brazilian territory. This study aimed to quantify the energy potential of solid waste destined for landfills managed by the Intermunicipal Consortium for Solid Waste Management (CIGRES) for electricity generation. The potential for electrical energy, the number of homes that can be served, and the equivalent value in electrical power to be obtained with the waste transported to the CIGRES landfill, which is responsible for the final disposal of MSW in 31 regional municipalities, were evaluated. Three possible scenarios were simulated, the first making the energy use of all waste sent to the landfill, the second recycling 16% of the suitable material, and the last recycling 30%. In the best scenario, a value of 58,774.63 kWh/day was obtained, sufficient to attend 6,603 residences, while in the scenario with 30% recycling, this number drops to 46,193.75 kWh, providing enough for 5,190 homes. The equivalent value for these numbers, using the electricity price in the region, would be R$ 25,508.19/day in the scenario with greater energy use and R$ 20,048.08/day by recycling 30% of the available material. The costs of implementing and operating this type of undertaking are still high in the country. Thus, partnerships with other consortia should be sought to make the activity viable.