Evaluation and analysis of potential combustible municipal solid waste as delivered at Dandora dump site for power generation

Abstract

This report looks at the evaluation and analysis of combustible Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) as delivered to the Dandora dumpsite for purposes of power generation. The Dandora dump site is located about 7.5 km away from the central part of Nairobi and is designated by the City Council of Nairobi (CCN) as one of the areas for final domestic solid waste disposal. The study examined the feasibility of energy recovery by processing the combustible components of MSW delivered at the dump site and assessing their heat values.

Despite the heterogeneity of materials in MSW, the Regnault and Pfaundler cooling formulae was used to allow the prediction of the heating value of MSW. Data provided by the Department of Environment at (CCN) revealed that the amount of waste delivered at the site in the year 2010, averaged 520 tonnes per day, of which 92 % was found to be combustible. Findings from the experimental analysis of collected waste samples did reveal that the calorific value of commingled combustible MSW delivered at the Dandora dump site was in the range of 17,000 - 20,000 kJ/kg .

Although the delivered waste contained fair amounts of moisture content, the high mean heat values and amounts of MSW delivered at the Dandora dump site reveal the potential of generating power. In the year 2009, the dump site received an average of 608 tonnes per day capable of generating 6 MW of power.