Finding sustainable solutions to the increasing waste generation in Ghana has received a lot of attention in recent years. Through several waste-to-energy processes, the energy potential of municipal solid waste has recently witnessed significant technological advancements. The Renewable Energy Master Plan has projected the production of about 122 MWp from waste-to-energy installations by 2030 in Ghana. To help policymakers and engineers achieve national goals, this paper reviews the waste generation in Ghana estimated from 2010 to 2030 and the status of various bioenergy technologies in Ghana. This paper further estimates the energy recovery potential of municipal solid waste in Ghana under incineration, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery technologies. The review establishes that, by 2030, municipal solid waste generation will increase by 123% of the 2023 quantities and may produce 1484.25 MW of installed electricity capacity and 13,002.03 GWh per year, which would amount to nearly 59% of Ghana’s 2030 renewable energy target. Additionally, it was determined that anaerobic digestion, incineration, and landfill gas recovery technologies, when properly developed, will add 105.33 MW, 301.4 MW, and 377.31 MW of installed electrical capacity, respectively, to Ghana’s energy mix in 2028.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a sustainable method of treating organic waste to generate methane-rich biogas. However, the complex lignocellulosic nature of organic waste in most cases limits its biodegradability and methane potential. This review evaluates pretreatment technology to optimize AD performance, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, where organic waste remains underutilized. A narrative synthesis of the literature between 2010 and 2024 was conducted through ScienceDirect and Scopus, categorizing pretreatment types as mechanical, thermal, chemical, biological, enzymatic, and hybrid. A bibliometric examination using VOSviewer also demonstrated global trends in research and co-authorship networks. Mechanical and thermal pretreatments increased biogas production by rendering the substrate more available, while chemical treatment degraded lignin and hemicellulose, sometimes more than 100% in methane yield. Biological and enzymatic pretreatments were energy-consuming and effective, with certain enzymatic blends achieving 485% methane yield increases. The study highlights the synergistic benefits of hybrid approaches and growing global interest, as revealed by bibliometric analysis; hence, the need to explore their potential in Ghana. In Ghana, this study concludes that low-cost, biologically driven pretreatments are practical pathways for advancing anaerobic digestion systems toward sustainable waste management and energy goals, despite infrastructure and policy challenges.

This study explores the possibility of producing methanol from Ghanaian agricultural waste biomass, such as rice husk, sawdust, and cocoa pod husk, by employing Aspen Plus simulation and response surface methodology (RSM) as optimization methods. The process is modeled in Aspen Plus using the RPlug reactor model to simulate the reaction kinetics and optimize production factors. Among these, the major factors investigated included the steam-to-biomass ratio (SBR), the gasification temperature, and the reactor temperature for the purpose of optimizing methanol production through response surface methodology. According to this study, the ideal process parameters of SBR at 0.6039, gasification temperature set to 1000 °C, and reactor temperature maintained at 296.97 °C result in a methanol rate of 14,731 kg/h, corresponding to 78% yield. The simulation was validated against experimental data, revealing its high accuracy, with an R² value of 91.53%, and affirming the practical viability of the model. The economic assessment showed methanol production costs reaching USD 200 per tonne, whereas import prices remained at USD 850 per tonne, which demonstrates the clear financial benefits of local production. The proposed production method generates annual net profits of USD 2.23 million and establishes an investment return of 30%. This study demonstrates that agricultural waste can serve as an eco-friendly methanol production material while helping Ghana improve waste management and achieve energy independence and environmental sustainability. These discoveries lay the groundwork for large-scale methanol production in Ghana, utilizing local biomass resources to enhance the country’s renewable energy strategy, decrease its reliance on imported fuels, and support a circular economy. However, there are still challenges, like fluctuations in biomass characteristics, the high energy consumption of the gasification process, and the integration of a cost-effective catalyst in the methanol reactor. Exploring catalytic enhancements and integrating optimization strategies in future work could further enhance process efficiency.