Waste-to-energy potential in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Waste-to-energy (WTE) is a viable option for municipal solid waste (MSW) management and a renewable energy source. MSW is a chronic problem in Saudi Arabia and more specifically in Saudi Urban areas. The MSW practices in KSA are simply done by collecting the waste and dumping it in open landfill sites. KSA is considering WTE as a potential renewable energy source that can contribute to electricity demand in the Kingdom. This research aims to assess potential contribution of WTE facility to meet electricity demand in the three main cities in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia and to provide an alternative solution to landfills. Three scenarios for WTE utilization were developed: Mass Burn, Mass Burn with recycling, and refused derived fuel (RDF) with biomethanation. The Mass Burn scenario implies full waste stream incineration; the Mass Burn with recycling scenario considers segregation of reusable materials and the waste leftover for incineration; while RDF with biomethanation considers segregation of general waste stream into inorganic and organic waste and utilizes organic waste for biomethanation and inorganic for RDF. The analyses were completed for Jeddah, Makkah, and Madina cities; with current total population of about 6.3 million. The results show that Jeddah has the potential to produce about 180 MW of electricity based on incineration scenario; about 11.25 MW based on incineration with recycling scenario; and about 87.3 MW based RDF with biomethanation scenario by the year 2032. These

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“…In 2013, the total waste generation was 15.3 million tons with an average rate of 1.4 kg per capita per day [4,5]. This waste rate is projected to double (30 million tons) in 2033 with the current population growth rate (3.4%) [6].…”

“…This waste rate is projected to double (30 million tons) in 2033 with the current population growth rate (3.4%) [6]. The MSW is consist of food waste (50.6%), plastic (17.4%), paper (12%), cardboard (6.6%), glass (2.9%), wood (2%), textile (1.9%), metals (1.9%), aluminium (0.8%), leather (0.1%) and others (3.7%) [4,5]. Animal waste including rumen, blood, stomach, intestine and fats is another main source of waste generated from slaughter houses [7].…”

“…The municipalities regulate the solid waste management (SWM) activities in the KSA [4]. All the household and commercial places waste is collected and disposed at the landfills or dumpsites without value-added product or energy recovery [5].…”

“…The possibilities of WTE have never been investigated in KSA until very recently. Ouda et al [4,5] showed the high environmental values of the two MSW management scenarios such as mass burn and mass burn with recycling over landfilling option with regards to energy demand, greenhouses gas (GHG) emission reductions, and landfill area saving.…”

“…The waste plastic is the second largest waste stream in KSA with total production of 2.7 million tons per year and 0.3 kg/capita/day [4,5]. Most of the collected waste plastic ends up in landfill sites, where they cause operational and environmental problems due to slow degrading and clogging nature.…”