Author Identifier
Mohammad Nur-E-Alam: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1969-3348
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Science
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia (2022001HICOE) / Dato' Low Tuck Kwong International Energy Transition / (202203004ETG) / AAIBE Chair of Renewable Energy (202202KETTHA) / BOLD HICOE (J510050002/HICOE01) / Tenaga Nasional Berhad and UNITEN through the BOLD Refresh Publication Fund (J510050002-IC-6 BOLDREFRESH2025-Centre of Excellence)
Abstract
Abstract: Clean, inexpensive, and renewable energy sources with zero adverse environmental impact are essential for long-term sustainability. Implementing waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies has been suggested to improve solid waste management and promote the development of clean and sustainable urban environments. This involves the retrieval of waste materials and their conversion to electricity. By 2050, the global rate of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) production is anticipated to rise to 2.01 billion tonnes annually. This study evaluated various WtE technologies that have been developed to date. These technologies can be categorized into three groups: thermochemical methods (incineration, pyrolysis, and gasification), biochemical methods (anaerobic digestion and landfilling), and hybrid waste-to-energy systems. Additionally, the discussion touched upon various environmental aspects, highlighting the advantages of reducing COX, NOX, SOX, furans, and dioxin emissions. Furthermore, this study thoroughly describes the economic impact of various steps on a WtE plant. It also discusses policy and regulatory frameworks, namely availability, affordability, rights, social aspects, and environmental issues, that aim to incorporate principles of ethics, justice, planning, and decision-making when evaluating different aspects of energy systems.
DOI
10.1007/s10098-025-03204-x
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Abedin, T., Pasupuleti, J., Paw, J. K. S., Tak, Y. C., Islam, M. R., Basher, M. K., & Nur-E-Alam, M. (2025). From waste to worth: Advances in energy recovery technologies for solid waste management. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-025-03204-x