Skip to main content
Review | Industrial and Domestic Waste Management | Volume 1 - Issue 1 - 2021 | 26-40 | https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v1i1.51
© 2021 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

Malaysia Moving Towards a Sustainability Municipal Waste Management

Author(s): Yien Yu Tang 1 , Kuok Ho Daniel Tang 2 , Amit Kumar Maharjan 3 , Azrina Abdul Aziz 4 , Seng Bunrith 5
Author(s) information:
1 Department of Civil Construction Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science, Curtin University, CDT 250, Miri, 98009, Sarawak, Malaysia
2 Environmental Science Program, Division of Science and Technology, BNU-HKBU United International College, 2000 Jintong Road, Tangjiawan, Zhuhai GD 519087, China
3 Interdisciplinary Centre for River Basin Environment, University of Yamanashi, Japan
4 Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
5 Facultyof Hydrology and Water Resource Engineering, Institute of Technology Cambodia, PO BOX 86, Russian Federation Bvld, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Corresponding author

Industrial and Domestic Waste Management

Volume 1 - Issue 1 - 2021

 About the journal
Submit your article
The elevation of waste generation subsequent to population growth has become a severe environmental topic in Malaysia. Since most of the waste is being dumped into a landfill, the open dumpsite, or unsanitary landfills which are not constructed with proper engineering plan, severe impacts on the environment result. The energy demand in Malaysia increased with the growing population, but reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity has created another greenhouse gas contributor. Alternatively, waste-to-energy technology solves the problem of increasing waste by converting the waste to a renewable energy source. Malaysia has moved towards landfill gas recovery system and incineration for waste energy recovery. The recovery system and refuse-derived fuel plant achieved expectation; however, the incineration plants have failed due to the opposition of the public, lack of funding and technician expertise, and other technical issues. The solid waste management practices lacking separation and recycling sources, become an obstacle for development. The government puts effort into solving the current issue by promoting recycling in the public, enforcing the legislation, and approaching new technologies for better solid waste management practice in the future. This paper aims to discuss the application of energy recovery from municipal solid waste in Malaysia.
Read Full-Text
Previous article
Next article

Yong, Z.J.; Bashir, M.J.; Hassan, M.S. (2021). Biogas and biofertilizer production from organic fraction municipal solid waste for sustainable circular economy and environmental protection in Malaysia. Science of The Total Environment, 776, 145961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145961.

Ng, W.P.Q.; Lam, H.L.; Varbanov, P.S.; Klemeš, J.J. (2014). Waste-to-energy (WTE) network synthesis for municipal solid waste (MSW). Energy Conversion and Management, 85, 866-874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2014.01.004.

Bong, C.P.C.; Ho, W.S.; Hashim, H.; Lim, J.S.; Ho, C.S.; Tan, W.S.P.; Lee, C.T. (2017). Review on the renewable energy and solid waste management policies towards biogas development in Malaysia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 70, 988-998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.12.004. s

Malakahmad, A.; Abualqumboz, M.S.; Kutty, S.R.M.; Abunama, T.J. (2017). Assessment of carbon footprint emissions and environmental concerns of solid waste treatment and disposal techniques; case study of Malaysia. Waste Management, 70, 282-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.044.

Lim, Y.F.; Chan, Y. J.; Abakr, Y.A.; Sethu, V.; Selvarajoo, A.; Singh, A.; Gareth, M. (2021). Review of biowastes to energy in Malaysia: Current technology, scalability and socioeconomic analysis. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 4, 100257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2021.100257.

Devadoss, P. M.; Agamuthu, P.; Mehran, S.B.; Santha, C.; Fauziah, S.H. (2021). Implications of municipal solid waste management on greenhouse gas emissions in Malaysia and the way forward. Waste Management, 119, 135-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.09.038.

Kaur, A.; Bharti, R.; Sharma, R. (2021). Municipal solid waste as a source of energy. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.286.

Noor, Z.Z., Yusuf, R.O., Abba, A.H., Hassan, M.A.A.; Din, M.F.M. (2013). An overview for energy recovery from municipal solid wastes (MSW) in Malaysia scenario. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 20, 378-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.11.050.

Erdogan, A.A.; Yilmazoglu, M.Z. (2021). Plasma gasification of the medical waste. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46, 29108-29125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.12.069.

Montiel-Bohórquez, N.D.; Agudelo, A.F.; Pérez, J.F. (2021). Effect of origin and production rate of MSW on the exergoeconomic performance of an integrated plasma gasification combined cycle power plant. Energy Conversion and Management, 238, 114138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2021.114138.

Malav, L.C.; Yadav, K.K.; Gupta, N.; Kumar, S.; Sharma, G.K.; Krishnan, S.; Bach, Q.V. (2020). A review on municipal solid waste as a renewable source for waste-to-energy project in India: Current practices, challenges, and future opportunities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 277, 123227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123227.

Hasan, M.M.; Rasul, M.G.; Khan, M.M.K.; Ashwath, N.; Jahirul, M.I. (2021). Energy recovery from municipal solid waste using pyrolysis technology: A review on current status and developments. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 145, 111073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111073.

Samad, N.A.F.A.; Jamin, N.A.; Saleh, S. (2017). Torrefaction of municipal solid waste in Malaysia. Energy Procedia, 138, 313-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.106.

Woon, K.S.; Phuang, Z.X.; Lin, Z.; Lee, C.T. (2021). A Novel Food Waste Management Framework Combining Optical Sorting System and Anaerobic Digestion: A Case Study in Malaysia. Energy,121094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.121094.

Kumar, A.; Samadder, S.R. (2017). A review on technological options of waste to energy for effective management of municipal solid waste. Waste Management, 69, 407-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.046

Abd Kadir, S.A.S.; Yin, C.Y.; Sulaiman, M.R.; Chen, X.; El-Harbawi, M. (2013). Incineration of municipal solid waste in Malaysia: Salient issues, policies and waste-to-energy initiatives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 24, 181-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.03.041.

Cheng, H.; Hu, Y. (2010). Municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable source of energy: Current and future practices in China. Bioresource technology, 101, 3816-3824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111436.

Moh, Y.C.; Abd Manaf, L. (2014). Overview of household solid waste recycling policy status and challenges in Malaysia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 82, 50-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.11.004.

Moh, Y.C.; Abd Manaf, L. (2017). Solid waste management transformation and future challenges of source separation and recycling practice in Malaysia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 116, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.09.012.

Pariatamby, A. (2014). MSW Management in Malaysia-Changes for Sustainability. In Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Environmental Science and Engineering. Pariatamby, A., Tanaka, M. (Eds.); Springer: Singapore. pp.195-232. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4451-73-4_11.

Abd Manaf, L.; Samah, M.A.A.; Zukki, N.I.M. (2009). Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia: Practices and challenges. Waste management, 29, 2902-2906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.07.015.

Mohd Adnan, S.N.S.B.; Yusoff, S.; Chua, Y.P. (2013). Soil chemistry and pollution study of a closed landfill site at Ampar Tenang, Selangor, Malaysia. Waste Management & Research, 31, 599-612. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X13482031.

Johari, A.; Ahmed, S.I.; Hashim, H.; Alkali, H.; Ramli, M. (2012). Economic and environmental benefits of landfill gas from municipal solid waste in Malaysia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(5), 2907-2912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.02.005.

Kurniawan, T.A.; Liang, X.; Singh, D.; Othman, M.H.D.; Goh, H.H.; Gikas, P.; Shoqeir, J.A. (2022). Harnessing landfill gas (LFG) for electricity: A strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Jakarta (Indonesia). Journal of Environmental Management, 301, 113882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113882.

Omar, H.; Rohani, S. (2015). Treatment of landfill waste, leachate and landfill gas: A review. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 9, 15-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1501-y.

Manheim, D.C.; Yeşiller, N.; Hanson, J.L. (2021). Gas Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis of Global Data. Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-021-00234-4.

Tan, S.T.; Ho, W.S.; Hashim, H.; Lee, C.T.; Taib, M.R.; Ho, C.S. (2015). Energy, economic and environmental (3E) analysis of waste-to-energy (WTE) strategies for municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Malaysia. Energy Conversion and Management, 102, 111-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2015.02.010.

Kathirvale, S.; Yunus, M.N.M.; Sopian, K.; Samsuddin, A.H. (2004). Energy potential from municipal solid waste in Malaysia. Renewable energy, 29, 559-567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2003.09.003.

Sharifah, A.S.; Abidin, H.Z.; Sulaiman, M.R.; Khoo, K.H.; Ali, H. (2008). Combustion characteristics of Malaysian municipal solid waste and predictions of air flow in a rotary kiln incinerator. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 10, 116-123. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-008-0207-3.

Karpan, B.; Raman, A.A.A.; Aroua, M.K.T. (2021). Waste-to-energy: Coal-like refuse derived fuel from hazardous waste and biomass mixture. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 149, 655-664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2021.03.009.

Wang, P.; Hu, Y.; Cheng, H. (2019). Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration fly ash as an important source of heavy metal pollution in China. Environmental pollution, 252, 461-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.04.082.

Assamoi, B.; Lawryshyn, Y. (2012). The environmental comparison of landfilling vs. incineration of MSW accounting for waste diversion. Waste management, 32, 1019-1030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.10.023.

Yong, Z.J.; Bashir, M.J.; Ng, C.A.; Sethupathi, S.; Lim, J.W.; Show, P.L. (2019). Sustainable waste-to- energy development in malaysia: Appraisal of environmental, financial, and public issues related with energy recovery from municipal solid waste. Processes, 7, 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr7100676.

Abdulyekeen, K.A., Umar, A.A., Patah, M.F.A.; Daud, W.M.A.W. (2021). Torrefaction of biomass: Production of enhanced solid biofuel from municipal solid waste and other types of biomass. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 150, 111436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111436.

Norbu, T.; Visvanathan, C.; Basnayake, B. (2005). Pretreatment of municipal solid waste prior to landfilling. Waste management, 25, 997-1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2005.06.006.

Read Full-Text
About this article

SUBMITTED: 28 November 2021
ACCEPTED: 19 December 2021
PUBLISHED: 20 December 2021
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 22 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v1i1.51

Cite this article
Tang, Y. Y., Tang, K. H. D., Maharjan, A. K., Abdul Aziz, A., & Bunrith, S. (2021). Malaysia Moving Towards a Sustainability Municipal Waste Management. Industrial and Domestic Waste Management, 1(1), 26–40. https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v1i1.51
Accessed
5881
Citations
0
Share this article