Integrated Gasification of Municipal Solid Waste for Cogeneration and Sustainable Energy Production

This study investigates the energy potential and technological feasibility of using municipal solid waste as a fuel source through gasification and cogeneration. A comprehensive morphological and elemental analysis of waste samples revealed significant fractions of paper, polymers, and wood, with average carbon and hydrogen contents of 32.3% and 5.2%, respectively, supporting their suitability for thermal conversion. Experiments were conducted using a shaft-type gasification reactor operated at temperatures ranging from 750 to 1050 °C. The results demonstrated that increasing the gasification temperature enhanced the yield of volatile compounds up to 67.9% and raised the syngas calorific value to 16.2 MJ/m³. The syngas composition was characterised by carbon monoxide concentrations up to 27.8% and hydrogen concentrations up to 17.1%. Additional trials confirmed the stable combustion of produced syngas in a Siemens SGT-100 gas turbine, with NOx emissions measured between 45 and 57 mg/Nm³. Modeling outcomes using ChemCAD aligned closely with experimental data, validating the process parameters. The findings confirm that integrating gasification-based cogeneration systems can effectively reduce reliance on landfills and improve energy efficiency in municipal infrastructure.