Reuse and recycling are preferred strategies in waste management to ensure the high position of waste resources in the waste management hierarchy. However, challenges are still pronounced in many developing countries, where disposal as a final solution is prevalent, particularly for municipal solid waste. On the other hand, refuse-derived fuel as a means of energy recovery provides a sustainable option for managing mixed, contaminated and residual municipal solid waste (MSW). This study provides one of the earliest assessments of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from MSW in Ghana through a case study in the cities of Accra and Kumasi. The residual/reject fractions (RFs) of MSW material recovery were characterized for thermochemical energy purposes. The studied materials had the potential to be used as RDF. The combustible portions from the residual fractions formed good alternative fuel, RDF, under the class I, II-III classification of the EN 15359:2011 standards. The RDF from only combustible mixed materials such as plastics, paper and wood recorded a significant increase in the lower heating value (28.66–30.24 MJ/kg) to the mass RF, with the presence of organics (19.73 to 23.75 MJ/kg). The chlorine and heavy metal content met the limits set by various standards. An annual RDF production of 12 to 57 kilotons is possible from the two cities. This can offset 10–30% of the present industrial coal consumption, to about 180 kiloton/yr CO₂ eq emissions and a net cost saving of USD 8.7 million per year. The market for RDF as an industrial alternative fuel is developing in Ghana and similar jurisdictions in this context. Therefore, this study provides insights into the potential for RDF in integrated waste management system implementation for socioeconomic and environmental benefits. This supports efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a circular economy.

Among the sustainable ways of municipal solid waste management (MSW) is energy recovery, particularly into refuse derived fuel (RDF). However, the potential, application, and research of RDF in existing cases is not exhausted. Additional analysis of literature is needed to provide further insights into the area. The evolution of RDF research over the past 30 years is analyzed and presented in this paper. Using a statistical approach, a bibliometric analysis was conducted for research on RDF from the SCOPUS database to assess perspectives and trends and gain a better understanding of the scope of RDF research. The bibliometric analysis tools, co-citation, keyword occurrence, co-authorship, and bibliometric coupling network, were utilized in VOSviewer to map out keywords, collaborations, and citations. The result from the analysis indicated that scholarly works around RDF were largely written in English (92.7%). Journal articles were the most frequently occurring document type, representing 68.5% of the records, followed by conference papers (24.9%). Out of a total of 1184 documents analyzed, the number of publications rose steadily from 26 in 2003 to 102 in 2021. Most publications on RDF were in the subject area of Environmental Science (648), Energy (483), and Engineering (441). Waste Management, Fuel, Waste Research and Management, and the Journal of Cleaner Productions were the sources that contained most of the publications on RDF research. The contributions (number of publications) in the RDF research were largely from the US (176), Italy (97), Japan (90), Germany (86), China (79), and the UK (74), among others. Collaborations were notable between the US, Europe, and the Asian regions (China, India, and Thailand). Conspicuously missing were research contributions from the African region, comparatively, thus emphasizing the need for contributions from such perspectives. The keyword analysis result further showed studies were within knowledge areas of conversion processes, applications, and management. Thermochemical conversion pathways were highly applied to RDF and thus combustion/co-combustion/incineration (717), gasification (224), and pyrolysis (115). Additionally, research on RDF applications was mostly in the cement industry (150) and electricity generation (55). The time incident analysis outlined recent interest and emerging trends in optimization of valorization processes, towards a circular economy and sustainability. Cross-cutting areas of environmental focus (emissions) were observed along the years analyzed. There is a rising focus on indicators for commercialization, environmental impacts, and optimum production from the analysis. This is useful especially for the emerging regions/territory of research contributions. These discussions would potentially maximize the co-benefits of energy generation and eco-environment sustainability via cost benefits deployments suggested for future research. Analyzing the RDF research trends, these findings are useful for the future endeavor of researchers and developers.