Energy generation from solid waste: The case of Hakkâri province

With the increasing population and developing industry both globally and in our country, there is also an increase in the amount of waste. Waste that causes environmental crises worldwide and poses a threat to ecosystems has begun to be evaluated for the purpose of meeting basic needs of humanity for energy production. Efforts to transform waste into energy, turning it from a problem into an opportunity, are widely ongoing globally. Due to the insufficient capacity of non-renewable energy sources to meet the world's energy demands, there has been a rapid trend towards renewable energy sources. In this study, solid waste was examined, and a general assessment of waste management both globally and in our country was made. One of the prominent methods in the evaluation stages of solid waste is energy recovery. General information about energy both globally and in our country is provided. The integrated energy production, technically evaluated with the construction phase of the sanitary landfill site in Hakkari province, has been assessed. The amount of solid waste generated within the borders of Hakkari province, the amount of landfill gas that can be generated in the sanitary landfill site, and the amount of gas anticipated to be recovered for energy production have been calculated. Firstly, the future population of Hakkari was calculated using the method of the provincial bank. Starting from the per capita daily average solid waste amount in Hakkari, the total annual waste amount was determined. Using the waste amount data, the gas amount was also estimated using the LandGEM mathematical model developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The potential electricity generation when the recovered gas is burned in internal combustion engines was calculated based on the estimation result. Additionally, the cost items of the energy production facility are also included. Key Word: Hakkâri, landfill gas, renewable energy, solid waste