Solid waste to energy strategy in Lebanon: Potential, technology and design

Solid waste management is a big challenge in urban areas for most of the countries throughout the world. An efficient waste management is a pre requisition for maintain a safe and green environment as there are increasing all kinds of waste disposal. There are many technologies used for waste management. A Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility specifically 4th generation incineration facility is chosen to be the best solution in Lebanon. The placement of a Waste-Fired Power Plant in three sites around Lebanon would process 2.6 million tons of Lebanon´s municipal solid wastes (MSW) annually and generate 197.3 MW of electricity plus 470672 Btu/h of heat to be used for adjoining industrial processes or for distribution as district heating. This process would additionally minimize waste volume to <; 5% by transporting 7100 tons per day of MSW directly from households and businesses to the WTE facility instead of landfilling most of these wastes. The installation of state-of-the-art emission control technologies at the facility would reduce gaseous emissions well below standards established by the Lebanese Ministry of Environment. Finally the environmental impacts of WTE were quantified.