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Waste to Energy in Developing Countries—A Rapid Review: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policies in Selected Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia towards Sustainability

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  • Imran Khan

    (Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand
    Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh
    Energy Research Laboratory, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh)

  • Shahariar Chowdhury

    (Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand
    Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand)

  • Kuaanan Techato

    (Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand
    Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand)

Abstract

Daily per capita waste generation will increase by 40% and 19%, for developing and developed countries by 2050, respectively. The World Bank estimates that total waste generation is going to triple in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and double in South Asia (SA) by 2050. This article conducts a rapid review and aims to demonstrate the current waste management scenario and the potential of waste to energy generation in the developing world, focusing on SSA and SA. Although many review articles related to waste to energy (WtE) in developing countries are available in the literature, a rapid review particularly focusing on countries in SSA and SA is rarely seen. An analysis of different WtE generation technologies, and current waste management practices in developing countries in SSA and SA are also presented. The analysis shows that about three-fourths of waste is openly dumped in developing countries of SSA and SA. In terms of waste composition, on average, about 48.70% and 51.16% of waste generated in developing economies of SSA and SA are organic. Opportunities to convert this waste into energy for developing countries are highlighted, with a case study of Bangladesh, a country in SA. Major challenges regarding the waste to energy (WtE) projects in the developing world are found to be the composition of waste, absence of waste separation scheme at source, ineffective waste collection method, lack of suitable WtE generation technology in place, lack of financial support and policies related to a WtE project, and absence of coordination between different governmental institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Imran Khan & Shahariar Chowdhury & Kuaanan Techato, 2022. "Waste to Energy in Developing Countries—A Rapid Review: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policies in Selected Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-27, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:3740-:d:776961
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Ferdoush, Md. Ruhul & Aziz, Ridwan Al & Karmaker, Chitra Lekha & Debnath, Binoy & Limon, Mohammad Hossain & Bari, A.B.M. Mainul, 2024. "Unraveling the challenges of waste-to-energy transition in emerging economies: Implications for sustainability," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(2).

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