Exploration and prediction of wet season municipal solid waste for power generation in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria

The wet season municipal solid waste (MSW) was characterized on Lasoju/Eyenkorin dumpsite for May to August 2020. The aggregate of waste generated was estimated to be 135,882 tons, while the aggregate characterized was estimated to be 80,700 tons. There are thirty-two samples of 240 L (bin of MSW) per sample considered in this investigation. There are twenty-one waste components categorized altogether, with packaging box having the highest proportion of 10.04%, followed by food residue of 9.64%, nylon 9.51%, and leather with the least fraction (0.75%) of the weight basis. Experimental investigations were performed on fourteen combustible fractions of the waste to determine the moisture content, elemental contents, and high heating value. The laboratory analysis reveals that the average carbon content available is 55%, 7% hydrogen, 1.35% nitrogen, 0.44% sulphur, and 30% oxygen; the low heating value of the waste was determined to be 23 MJ/kg. About 672 tons of MSW were investigated for energy production to give an energy and power potentials of 4.2 GWh and 53 MW discretely. The estimated electrical power potential for the wet season MSW is capable of meeting about 59% of the power demand for the Ilorin metropolis.