Energies 2012, 5, 4209-4232; doi:10.3390/en5104209
energies
ISSN 1996-1073
www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
Review
A Review on Waste to Energy Processes Using
Microwave Pyrolysis
Su Shiung Lam 1,2,* and Howard A. Chase 2
1 Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia
Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
2 Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, New Museums
Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3RA, UK; E-Mail: hac1000@cam.ac.uk
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: lam@umt.edu.my;
Tel.: +60-9668-3844; Fax: +60-9668-3326.
Received: 29 June 2012; in revised form: 6 September 2012 / Accepted: 12 October 2012 /
Published: 23 October 2012
Abstract: This paper presents an extensive review of the scientific literature associated
with various microwave pyrolysis applications in waste to energy engineering. It was
established that microwave-heated pyrolysis processes offer a number of advantages over
other processes that use traditional thermal heat sources. In particular, microwave-heated
processes show a distinct advantage in providing rapid and energy-efficient heating
compared to conventional technologies, and thus facilitating increased production rates. It
can also be established that the pyrolysis process offers an exciting way to recover both the
energetic and chemical value of the waste materials by generating potentially useful
pyrolysis products suitable for future reuse. Furthermore, this review has revealed good
performance of the microwave pyrolysis process when compared to other more
conventional methods of operation, indicating that it shows exceptional promise as a means
for energy recovery from waste materials. Nonetheless, it was revealed that many
important characteristics of the microwave pyrolysis process have yet to be raised or fully
investigated. In addition, limited information is available concerning the characteristics of
the microwave pyrolysis of waste materials. It was thus concluded that more work is
needed to extend existing understanding of these aspects in order to develop improvements
to the process to transform it into a commercially viable route to recover energy from
waste materials in an environmentally sustainable manner.
OPEN ACCESS
