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Article | Industrial and Domestic Waste Management | Volume 3 - Issue 2 - 2023 | 115‒126 | https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v3i2.349
© 2023 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Sustainable Energy from Waste: A Feasibility Study in Miri, Malaysia

Author(s): Ming Xuan Chua 1 , Nur Hasyimah Hashim 2 , Musademba Downmore 3 , Paran Gani 1
Author(s) information:
1 Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Curtin University Malaysia, CDT 250, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia.
2 State Development Office of Terengganu, Implementation Coordination Unit, Prime Minister’s Department (ICU JPM), Level 10, Wisma Darul Iman, 20503 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
3 Department of Fuels and Energy Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.

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Industrial and Domestic Waste Management

Volume 3 - Issue 2 - 2023

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The growth of urban populations, industrialization, and economic development has led to a surge in solid waste production. When local recycling infrastructure falls short, much of this waste ends up in landfills, causing environmental and social challenges. This study aims to assess the feasibility of converting municipal solid waste (MSW) into energy, with a focus on combustion chamber modeling in Miri, Sarawak. Data on MSW composition are obtained from secondary sources. Ansys Fluent software is used to model the combustion chamber, and simulations are conducted to explore temperature, turbulence, and species distribution. MSW composition illustrates higher substantial fractions, with 39.8% being food waste, followed by 20.7% plastic/rubber. Calorific values range from 4652 kJ/kg for food waste to 32564 kJ/kg for plastic/rubber. Combustion simulations result in maximum flue gas temperatures of 1500 °C, 1200 °C, and 1800 °C under varying air inlet conditions. Turbulence intensities on the grate range from 125% to 174% for these air inlet configurations. The study concludes that moisture content significantly affects calorific value and heat generation during combustion. Higher turbulence intensities lead to increased reaction rates and heat generation, improving the energy efficiency of the process.

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SUBMITTED: 03 November 2023
ACCEPTED: 14 December 2023
PUBLISHED: 20 December 2023
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 41 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v3i2.349

Cite this article
Chua, M. X. ., Hashim, N. H. ., Downmore, M. ., & Gani, P. (2023). Sustainable Energy from Waste: A Feasibility Study in Miri, Malaysia. Industrial and Domestic Waste Management, 3(2), 115‒126. https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v3i2.349
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