Production of renewable energy by transformation of kitchen waste to biogas, case study of Malaysia

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management has been highlighted by the Malaysian government as an important agenda in ensuring successful development of the country. Due to the fast growing urbanization and industrialization of the country, a tremendous increment of solid waste generation is an unavoidable occurrence. With increased levels of waste production, limited area for landfilling, and increased awareness of environmental impact, alternative methods for treatment of solid and agricultural wastes are being sought. Currently these wastes load to the dumping sites and release undesired methane into the atmosphere. A typical composition of MSW in Malaysia comprises as high as 70 to 80% of organic waste with high moisture content (80 to 85%), which is suitable for biological transformation to biogas. Therefore, in this study, application of an anaerobic digester for transformation of kitchen waste was investigated. The best organic loading rate (OLR) and slurry concentration for highest biogas production rate were examined. Results show COD reduction of 80, 97, 85, 80 and 70 % for OLR of 2, 4, 8, 15 and 20 kg/m³, respectively. The best biogas production rate (0.6 m³/kgVS) was achieved at slurry concentration of 40 g/L.