CHAPTER EIGHT

Concluding Remarks
Suani Teixeira Coelhoa
Research Group on Bioenergy, Institute of Energy and Environment, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

The adequate collection and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) remain a challenge
in developing countries as a direct consequence of inadequate practices, which in turn
produce negative environmental and social impacts. In industrialized countries most
MSW are collected, reused, recycled, and, before being disposed in landfills, are recov-
ered through waste-to-energy (WtE) systems. However, in developing countries, WtE
technologies still face several barriers, in all aspects, and the synergies of WtE and basic
sanitation are not yet well seen.
In this context, the main objective of this publication was to analyze the current sit-
uation of MSW collection and disposal, allowing the discussion of the perspectives of
WtE in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
As discussed in this book, the main MSW disposal is still landfills and often-in dumps.
There are challenges mainly related to public awareness regarding the technologies, eco-
nomic feasibility, and regulatory environment in all regions analyzed.
In LA, there is not enough public awareness of WtE systems as a desirable treatment
option. There is, in general, lack of knowledge, on the part of public officials, the munic-
ipal and regional authorities, and the entities responsible for the management of MSW.
In addition, the LA region do not have a portfolio of companies that can manufacture
equipment for incineration systems capable of handling the MSW, burning them in a
controlled way, and fulfilling the environmental standards. Therefore, there is the need
for imported equipment, making the investment much higher.
Important to note that in Brazil there are local manufacturers who have started devel-
oping small-scale thermal systems (MSW gasification) for small/medium municipalities,
showing interesting perspectives.
In Asia, similar to LA, the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) syndrome, like any other
waste management technique, has also plagued incineration. Despite stringent emission
standards being enforced in the region, the technology is yet to garner public acceptance.
In all regions, installation and operational costs are very high for WtE technologies.
Additionally, in Asia, there is the problem of pollutant emissions in the region. Even after

a
Author acknowledges the important contribution from Prof. Jose Goldemberg, from University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Municipal Solid Waste Energy Conversion in Developing Countries © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813419-1.00008-5 All rights reserved. 235
236 Suani Teixeira Coelho

flue gas cleaning, pollutants may not be completely eliminated. Advanced air pollution
control units have however helped the incinerators adhere to the emission standards
(Xin-Gang et al., 2016).
Besides the economic challenges, it is important to note that WtE technologies using
thermochemical routes are a controversial issue in all regions, since they face some neg-
ative perception from the local society. Among them, incineration process in many cases
is object of strong local rejection, firstly due to the fear of the pollutant emissions (mainly
dioxins and furans). There is a significant lack of adequate information regarding the exis-
ting environmental legislation, as well as mandatory gas cleaning systems to fulfill the ade-
quate environmental standards.
Another significant difficulty due to lack of information is related to the recycling
process. There is often a strong belief that WtE processes is opposite to recycling. In many
developing countries, there are several unskilled people working in dumps (exposed to
huge health impacts), and there are also workers in cooperatives for manual recycling,
such as in Brazilian municipalities. Therefore, there are concerns that WtE processes will
oblige such people to lose their jobs. A widespread information program is necessary to
explain that WtE processes do need previous recycling so, in regions where people do
not perform their own waste recycling, the recycling process prior to WtE processes
is mandatory.
On the other hand, waste collection services remain a real problem for the small
municipalities, since incineration plants are economically feasible only for municipalities
with at least 500,000–600,000 inhabitants.
In such cases, other options are necessary such as MSW gasification, which is possible
to be installed in smaller municipalities.
In addition, an important aspect is the synergy between WtE and basic sanitation. The
WtE technologies not only allow an increase in energy supply in the municipalities but
also—and most important—contribute to solve the problem of adequate waste disposal.
There are few examples that illustrate this aspect. In Minas Gerais, Brazil, a small-scale
WtE plant (1 MWe gasification plant using 55 t/d of MSW) is being built to solve the
problem of inadequate waste disposal in a small municipality (Boa Esperança municipal-
ity, with 40,000 inhabitants, with the perspective to be expanded to the other munici-
palities nearby).
More important than the electricity generation (to be sold to the interlinked system)
there is a solution to the environmental problem related to the inadequate MSW disposal
(in a previous dump—with the liquid contaminant being discharged in to the nearby
lake). However, when analyzing WtE economic feasibility, this analysis does not include
the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the project when it avoids waste
deposited in an open dump with all the negative impacts and costs.
In brief, benefits from WtE Technologies are a matter of fact. They include
(i) The positive aspects related to basic sanitation, since the process contributes to elim-
inate existing dumps and all negative impacts from them.
Concluding Remarks 237

(ii) The contribution of WtE technologies to increase energy generation, not only in
regions with adequate energy supply but also in regions where energy access is
low or inexistent.
However, difficulties for the implementation of WtE technologies are huge. Challenges
include the need for adequate information dissemination, for local capacity building, as
well as the lack of funds for the investment and adequate regulations such as feed-in-tariffs
and mandatory purchase, to allow the economic feasibility of the process. In general, the
price of electricity generated by the WtE process is not competitive with the other
sources of renewable energies. It would be interesting to analyze the possibility to guar-
antee a fixed subsidized price for the project at the time of implementation.
Conclusions show the high social and environmental benefits of WtE technologies for
developing countries, as well as the contribution to increase energy offer in a sustainable
way. Nevertheless, adequate policies and widespread information dissemination must be
implemented to allow a sustainable MSW treatment, contributing to the development of
the regions.