Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 12, No. 2, 2018 - 245 - © 2018 JUST. All Rights Reserved. Analysis of Refuse Derived Fuel Utilization from Aqaba Municipal Solid Waste Eyad Batarseh 1) , Muhanned A. Hararah 2) and Assal Haddad 3) 1) Ph.D., PMP, Principal Senior Environmental Engineer/Engicon., Jordan. E-Mail: ebatarseh@yahoo.com 2) Ph.D., ASEZA Commissioner for Environment and Health Control, Jordan. E-Mail: mhararah@aseza.jo 3) Ph.D., Chair of Civil Engineering Department at the American University of Madaba (AUM), Jordan. E-Mail: a.haddad@aum.edu.jo ABSTRACT Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills is still the most common MSW disposal practice worldwide. Although landfills are increasingly equipped with better liners and environmental protection systems, the threat of harm to the environment from landfills continues to be a problem in the long term, due to leachate and gas production. As an alternative to landfilling, a portion of the waste (mainly plastics, textile, cardboard and paper, wood and other organics) can be converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and used as a fuel source rather than fossil fuel. An RDF facility can be developed as part of an integrated waste management system in Aqaba. This paper summarizes a recent study of the Aqaba MSW waste stream, explains relevant specifications and standards for RDF and proposes possible uses of RDF as fuel in cement industry. KEYWORDS: Refuse derived fuel, Municipal solid waste, Environment protection. INTRODUCTION The waste characterization study summarized in this paper represents the first effort conducted in Jordan so far to quantify and carefully characterize waste in Aqaba. A team from both University of Central Florida (UCF) and Jordan University for Science and Technology (JUST) conducted a study on landfills in Jordan in 2001 (Chopra et al., 2001), which described the Aqaba landfill as an open dumpster with no landfill sequence plan, compacting or leveling, where covering takes place only occasionally. The previous study, however, used approximate default values for waste composition (w/w %) for all the landfills in Jordan (including Aqaba landfill) to model leachate generation rates. The results of the present study provide an accurate understanding of the generated waste stream in various sectors of the city of Aqaba, as well as clear picture of the waste composition delivered into the landfill. This information will be useful in facing the primary challenge for Aqaba waste management of developing an integrated solid waste management plan, consisting of a properly engineered sanitary landfill and waste diversion mechanisms, including RDF, as considered in this paper. Aqaba is a central industrial and tourist hub for Jordan and is home to the country’s only port. Its population, currently at about 100,000, is increasing rapidly and the city is expanding as investments pour into the local economy. Aqaba city currently generates approximately 120 tons/day of MSW (Waste Characterization of the City of Aqaba, 2013). This MSW is disposed of in an unlined landfill 12 km south- southeast of Aqaba city at the base of the Aqaba mountains. Received on 23/4/2015. Accepted for Publication on 13/11/2017.