Waste to energy technologies for municipal solid waste management in Gaziantep

Landfill gas (LFG) which is produced by means of municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment activities can be considered as a source of greenhouse gases, including mostly methane. Therefore its management plays an important role. During the process of methane production in MSW plants, LFG is collected, treated and then used for power production purposes. Although there have been many technologies existed, incineration and landfilling methods are mostly preferred all over the world today due to their high energy production potentials. The increasing amount of solid waste arising from municipalities and other sources and its consequent disposal have been the major environmental and economic problems in Turkey. Furthermore, providing more effective and eco-friendly solutions has been a key point for Turkey while being a candidate country for European Union (EU) accession. In this paper, a brief overview on recent technologies and methods applied to MSW management in the world is presented. Current research studies accessed on the literature on MSW are outlined. Moreover, recent MSW management in Gaziantep metropolitan city is displayed with the existing method which produces LFG for power production. Some concluding remarks and recommendations are presented for future developments in MSW management.