Kirkuk municipal waste to electrical energy

Municipal solid waste (MSW) in Kirkuk city in the north of Iraq poses a serious problem having adverse effects on environment and health of the citizens. Both quantity and volume of MSW have continued to increase with the rapid growth of city population. The population of Kirkuk city, on average, has increased by 3% per annum over the past two decades. The population of Kirkuk city is predicted to increase from 1,050,000 in 2008 to 1,445,556 in 2020. The generation of waste is expected to grow in the future with the rise of city population. The daily waste generation is projected to 1000 tone in 2011. By 2021, the daily waste will amount to 1200 tones. The waste to electricity suggested project in Kirkuk and the choice of electricity generation technology, would lead to improved electricity supply and efficient waste management in the city, and is expected to contribute to technology transfer in this new area. Landfill or Biodigestor technology seems to be the most preferred technology for Kirkuk city to start with. Potential power for a plant sourcing from the MSW mass to be fed into the national grid was estimated at 5 MW.Equivalent CO2 emission in the absence of waste to electrical energy project and the emission by proposed project were calculated. The reduction in CO2 emission is 87.4%.

► Kirkuk municipal solid waste poses serious effects on environment and citizen health.
► The daily waste generation is expected to grow with the rise of city population.
► The project would lead to improved electricity supply and efficient managing waste.
► Landfill technology is the most preferred to generate 5 MW of electricity.