Effectively collecting and disposing municipal solid waste in Dhaka has become a serious and challenging problem. The principal issues that undermine the city’s waste management measures include limited funds to pay for the daily transportation costs, limited capacity to manage a constant citywide collection effort, and a scarcity of land for the establishment and expansion of landfill sites. Decentralised processing of biodegradable waste of fresh markets by anaerobic digestion is a potential alternative to the current waste disposal system. The feasibility was techno-economically analysed. A conceptual design was set up for a fresh market generating 18 m3 waste per day, representing a medium sized fresh market. The biogas production, the related electricity generation, and required land area were estimated. The techno-economic analyses showed that, compared to the current collection, transport, and landfill costs, the total costs of the anaerobic digestion plant are 24% lower. The transport and landfill costs are strongly reduced. The labour, maintenance, and financing costs of the anaerobic digestion plant are nearly covered by the revenues from the offset of electricity. Moreover, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves the circularity.

Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 1355-1358