Energy recovery from aged waste in the Saravan dumpsite, Rasht, Iran

Non-recycled plastic, as a recent potential source of energy, has a greater calorific value compared with most waste components. In this study, municipal solid wastes of the Saravan dumpsite were characterised for energy recovery purposes based on their different components and respective calorific values. The Saravan dumpsite is the largest dumpsite in northern Iran. An extensive field investigation was conducted with more than 100 m of boreholes, and samples with different ages and compositions were collected. The weighted average composition of the studied waste was 56·83% organic material, 12·6% paper, 13·02% plastic, 3·93% wood and 3·08% textiles, with calorific values of 4332, 11 599, 23 175, 15 000 and 15 129·56 kJ/kg, respectively. Considering the studied composition, a weighted average global calorific value of about 8000 kJ/kg was estimated. Considering an incineration operation of 800 Mg/d (800 metric t/d) waste-digging-out process, power generation of about 5·63 MW/d was estimated. Hence, the Saravan dumpsite can be considered as a potential source for the production of alternative energy from a future waste-digging-out and incineration/gasification operation. As another interesting result, the net price of electricity production from the Saravan incineration power plant is calculated as US$0·185/kWh for a 5-year capital fund returning period.