Evaluation of potential anaerobic digestion facilities in Selangor, Malaysia by integrating GIS and Multi-criteria Decision Aid (MCDA)

anaerobic digestion, bioenergy, GIS-MCDA, waste-to-energy, Malaysia

There is currently an obvious deficiency in Malaysian government policies that encourage communities and industries to rely on municipal solid waste or organic waste as sources of bioenergy. Research has shown that though most of the wastes produced in Malaysia are compatible for this energy, at present, the installed capacity of waste-to-energy facilities in the country are only at 6.48 MW, less than 0.2% of its full potential. Acknowledging the lack of formal methodology in the Malaysian policies for the anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas technology, the general aim of this study is to offer decision-makers a novel measure to investigate potential AD sites in Selangor, Malaysia in pursuant of increased biogas deployments. This is in the context of locating areas with the best potential to situate both industrial-scale and micro-scale facilities. The hybrid combination of GIS and Multi-criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) is often perceived as a useful tool in bioenergy decision-making where a large array of influencing factors and conflicting constraints is typically involved. Analyses have shown that there are 9 areas found to have the best potentials for industrial-scale facilities in Hulu Selangor, capable of 2,135 MW generation capacity. Meanwhile, there are 50 sites with potential for micro-scale facilities found across the districts of Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam and Hulu Langat, with 10 to 15 MW potential capacity. The study’s instruments have provided an indispensable insight and a fair measurement to facilitate Selangor’s future bioenergy decisions. In terms of implementation, physical observation of candidate locations and a direct survey of sentiment with local communities are expected to follow the study.