Comparative technical-economical evaluation of gasification-based treatment of municipal solid waste

A technical-economic analysis of municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification was carried out in the commune of Chillán, Chile. The MSW production was quantified and characterized in the 2015–2018 period. The percentage characterization of MSW corresponded to organic matter (61%), other waste (17%), plastic (10%), paper and cardboard (8%) and glass (4%). In the analysis, the countercurrent fixed-bed gasification technology was selected, due to the simplicity of operation and less difficulty in controlling the operating parameters. Flow diagrams and gasification mass and energy balances were developed incorporating three preliminary processing options for the wet fraction of MSW: biodigestion, drying and pressing, prior to gasification. Total energy efficiencies were 54.2%, 54.6%, and 61.4% respectively. Finally, a preliminary economic analysis was carried out considering income and costs for the three process alternatives. The approximate annual gross profits were estimated at 6,462,000 US $ ∙ year ^− 1 for press-gasification, 6,139,000 US$ year ^− 1 for drying-gasification and 4,600,000 US$ year ^− 1 for biodigestion-gasification.