Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Reduction through Incineration for Electricity Purposes and Its Environmental Performance: A Case Study in Bantargebang, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) effectively reduces waste and has a side product, such as electricity. The waste-to-energy (WTE) power plant in Bantargebang is the first national pilot plant facility in Indonesia using moving grate incinerator (MGI) technology, with a 100 tons/day design capacity and a maximum design of electricity power output of 750 kW. The main challenge of WTE in Indonesia is high moisture content (MC) and unsorted waste. Hence, it is imperative to include the pre-treatment facility through waste drying and sorting. In this work, over 241 working days from January to December 2022, approximately 15,451.35 tons of MSW (averaging 70.55 tons/day) have been incinerated at an average temperature of 613.8 o C. Waste pretreatment alleviates waste MC from 20.13% to 8.59%. This process achieves a significant waste mass reduction of 81.52-96.50%. In addition, the system generates superheated steam at maximum values of 5000 kg/h, 340 o C, and 38-39 barA. The total electrical energy generated (956.04 MWh) is used to supply the electrical energy demand of the internal plant operation (1368.78 MWh). Moreover, the wastewater and flue gas in this WTE have successfully been processed by the pollution control systems to meet national standards. The fly and bottom ash from MSW incineration have proven harmless and suitable for construction material or cement admixture. This work conclusively shows that WTE Bantargebang provides positive implementation in almost all aspects, encompasses a significant amount of waste reduction, satisfying incineration performance, a significant amount of electricity generated, and the environmental performance does not harm the surroundings. Related to the performance deficiencies found is expected can be a valuable input for WTE development in Indonesia.