ISSN(Online) : 2319-8753 ISSN (Print) : 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Website: www.ijirset.com Vol. 6, I ssue 5, May 2017 Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0605037 7537 Utilization of Refuse – Derived Fuel (RDF) As an Alternative Energy Resource in India Poornima Shuklaˡ, R. K. Srivastava² Research Scholar, Environmental Research Laboratory, P.G. Department of Environmental Science, Government Model Science College (Autonomous), Jabalpur (M.P.), India ˡ Assistant Professor, Environmental Research Laboratory, P.G. Department of Environmental Science, Government Model Science College (Autonomous), (NAAC Re-Accredited ‘A’ Grade), College with Potential for Excellence (UGC), Jabalpur (M.P.), India ² ABSTRACT: India is one of the rapidly developing country. The increase in socio-economic condition has also significantly increased the amount of municipal solid waste generated. The proper disposal of MSW become a big challenge for local authorities. The traditional landfill method requires large amounts of land and contaminate air, water and soil. The environmental benefits of refuse-derived fuel, as an alternative technology for disposing of huge amount of solid waste. MSW has a very good calorific value which makes it a good source of energy. RDF can be used as a fuel and raw material substitute in various energy intensive plants like industries, power plants etc. Refuse derived fuel from municipal solid waste can be an alternative form of energy to replace fossil fuels. It is increasingly perceived as a suitable option for municipal solid waste management in India as it is if correctly applied- environment friendly and resource efficient. KEYWORDS: Refuse-derived fuel, MSW, Calorific value, Landfill, Environment friendly. I. INTRODUCTION The global demand for energy is rapidly increasing with increasing human population, industrialization, urbanization and modernization. In modern time developing countries like India most of the electricity requirements are met by conventional sources. The non-renewable source of energy, coal continues to be the most important source of electricity generation in India (Mandloi, 2015; Surroop and Mohee, 2011). Municipal solid waste generation increasing with the increase in economic prosperity and urban population. MSW, commonly known as refuse, trash or garbage, is a waste consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. The composition of municipal waste varies greatly from country to country and region to region and changes significantly with time. Solid waste generation in India is about 115,000 tons per day with a yearly increase of about 5% (according CPCB, India). Research studies reveal that the per capita generation rate increases with the size of the city and varies between 0.3 to 0.6 kg/day in the metropolitan areas. The estimated annual increase in per capita waste quantity is about 1.33% per year (Jain et al. 2014). Typical municipal solid waste composition received by municipal corporation in India is shown in the table-1. This table shows the high potential of Indian MSW for re-utilization either as compost or as refuse derived fuel pellets (Sheth, 2016).