Energy recovery potential from solid waste in Kathmandu Valley

Municipal Solid Waste management and energy crisis are two major problems that our society has been dealing with for a long time. Waste-to-Energy technologies such as incineration and anaerobic digestion can be used to manage solid waste and at the same time recover energy from it. The comparison of incineration and anaerobic digestion suggested that anaerobic digestion can be a suitable technology. The initial investment required for industrial scale anaerobic digestion is high and immediate results are difficult to achieve. But its advantages can be grasped by constructing small bio-digester plant within individual household premises. A portable mini biogas plant of 200 liters capacity can be constructed at an amount of US $60 which may encourage people to manage solid waste produced at household level. Thus, government authorities should educate people and offer incentives to the people to encourage them to use mini bio-digester.