Sustainable Waste Management Strategies for Effective Energy Utilization in Oman: A Review

Abstract

Due to the adverse effect of energy production from traditional fossil fuels, the move toward renewable and sustainable energy has become imperative. The waste disposal sector offers hope toward environmental sustainability and potential to generate strong income for any economy. The region of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries in the Middle East generates the highest quantity of municipal waste per capita, compared to other countries globally. In the GCC region, waste is usually just dumped at different landfill stations. Effective waste management is imperative for environmental protection and sustainable development. This article presents a review of the sustainable waste management strategies in Oman, in line with the United Nations goal on environmental management of waste. The current waste management strategies in Oman were discussed, and various waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies were proposed. These proposed WTE strategies would help in effective waste management in Oman and also in increasing the power grid capability. The salient part of this article is an overview of the ability of using landfill leachate as feedstock to produce clean and green hydrogen gas using different photo-fermentation processes. The production of hydrogen using single photo-fermentation process using landfill leachate alone, with leachate and addition of inoculum such as sewage sludge, and with substrates such as sucrose, glucose, and landfill leachate was investigated by utilizing a batch bioreactor and anaerobic conditions at controlled temperature, different initial pH, and heat treatment temperature range. Furthermore, a prototype model for the optimization of the inoculum size and the substrate was proposed with 2-level factorial design using Design Expert. The data gathering for this study was carried out by investigating different regions in Oman having the lowest and highest waste produce, the average annual waste for the different governorates, and the total amount of waste for five consecutive years (2015–2020), for the various engineered landfills. The cost of managing waste in the different governorates of Oman was presented, considering the average annual waste produced, in various regions of the country for the duration of the study. Furthermore, some challenges and opportunities in carrying out effective waste management in Oman were addressed.

An Overview of Agro-Waste Management in Light of the Water-Energy-Waste Nexus

“…It is important to produce innovative bio-ingredients (e.g., fiber, pigments, and polyphenols) from agro-wastes under the circular bioeconomy to open and exploit different market opportunities. Furthermore, urgent integrated/sustainable technologies are needed, at both the lab and industrial scale, for efficient extraction of biomaterials or bioactives from agro-wastes, especially fruit and vegetable wastes [69,169]. Mapelli et al [79] reviewed novel possibilities for production of bio-based biodegradable nursery pots and development of biomaterials (e.g., bio-stimulant extracts, plant-growth promoting microbes) derived from food wastes.…”

“…Several studies have been published on agro-wastes and their management, revolving around topics such as sustainable management of urban wastes, with publications from India [67], Italy [68], Oman [69], Tanzania [70], the European Union [71], the USA [72], and China [73][74][75]. Other studies have focused on producing microbial bio-flavor [76], sustainable management of agro-industrial wastes [77], management of olive leaf wastes to include production of biomass, animal feed, and pharmaceutical products [78], producing biomaterials derived from food wastes for the horticulture industry, like biodegradable nursery pots [79], and sustainable use of agro-industrial wastes to produce microbial pigments [80].…”

A Review of Future Household Waste Management for Sustainable Environment in Malaysian Cities

“…Lastly, although technology has simplified the process of waste management in different areas like internet of things, waste-to-energy technologies as strategies to reduce waste from sendinf to landfill (Okedu, 2022). Businesses also play their role in utilizing the technology and sustainable strategies to reduce cost and environmental pollution.…”

Leveraging Waste Recycling as a Gateway to a Green Economy in Nigeria

“…Waste management is a global challenge linked to rapid urbanization, improved living standards, and changes in consumption patterns (Elagroudy et al, 2016). The generation of waste was not an issue in the earliest times due to the modest population and their nomadic way of life, but over time, rapid population growth, urbanization, the growth of large cities, and economic development culminated in greater waste volume generated (Ferronato & Torretta, 2019;Okedu et al, 2022). The global municipal solid waste generation is 1.3 billion tons annually and has been projected to almost double (about 2.2 billion tons) annually by 2025 (Elagroudy et al, 2016) (see Figure 1).…”