Characterization of municipal solid waste for effective utilization as an alternative source for clean energy production

Renewable energy resources become an alternative to fossil fuels and help to mitigate the issues relevant to environmental sustainability. Some organic waste materials are harmful to the environment, but they offer a useful bioresource for renewable energy production. In this study, municipal solid waste (MSW) collected from Chattogram City was characterized for its effective utilization of energy production. Proximate analysis showed that the MSW has high ash and moisture content which needs further separation and purification. Elemental analysis reveals the presence of a lower amount of sulfur and nitrogen content. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis depicted that it has hydrocarbons with some compounds of sulfur and nitrogen. Ther-mogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that MSW can be degraded through three stages corresponding to the presence of moisture content, lower hydrocarbons, and higher hydrocarbons. Based on the characterization and subsequent analysis, it can be concluded that municipal solid waste has potential for utilization as an alternative source of energy, after proper separation and purification.