Assessing the energy potential and conversion technologies of Municipal Solid Waste in the Techiman municipality of the Bono East Region of Ghana.

Rising population growth rates, rapid urbanization and dynamic consumption patterns contribute to increased Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation in most municipalities across the globe, with ineffective management practices. This study assessed the energy potential of MSW in Techiman municipality of the Bono East region in Ghana and proposed suitable energy recovery technologies. Waste generated from 400 selected households were transported to a designated site, characterized and their energy content determined. Results from the study revealed that 66.5% of the waste generated in the Techiman municipality was organic, 19.2% was plastic, 3.3% was paper, 0.9% was glass, 3.2% was metals, 1.6% was leather and rubber, 0.6% was textiles, 1.9% was miscellaneous and 2.7% was inert. The moisture content of the major organic fractions of the waste ranged from 43.3% to 80.7%, whereas that of paper was found to be 5.8%. The high moisture content recorded supports biochemical conversion technologies, specifically anaerobic digestion and composting. From the estimation, plantain peels had the highest calorific value of 14.93 MJ/kg. This is followed by cassava peels with a value of 14.39 MJ/kg. The least calorific value was recorded in cocoyam peels as 7.65 MJ/kg. The total waste generated per day in the municipality was 194,668 kg. with the daily energy potential of the organic fraction of the generated waste estimated to be 1,574.94 GJ