A planning model for using municipal solid waste management technologies- considering Energy, Economic, and Environmental Impacts in Tehran-Iran

Abstract

Municipal solid waste can be considered both an opportunity and a threat. If it is not managed properly, it will cause pollution. On the other hand, it is a significant source of raw materials and energy. This paper aims to develop a multi-period multi-objective linear programming model to design a municipal waste management planning model. Cost, air pollution, and volume of waste constitute the objectives. Incineration, gasification, anaerobic digestion, landfill with and without gas recovery, recycling, and composting are the candidate technologies. Two scenarios, including examining all technologies and removing recycling and composting from the options, are considered. Incineration and gasification with average capacities of 31.8 MW and 10.4 MW were the first scenario’s energy generation systems. On the other hand, in the second scenario, incineration, gasification, and anaerobic digestion with average capacities of 62.4 MW MW, 30.8 MW, and 59.8 MW, respectively, were the proposed options for energy production. All in all, results indicated that recycling and composting are preferable for waste management in Tehran; besides, among energy production technologies, incineration and anaerobic digestion are the best systems for the non-biodegradable and biodegradable portion of waste, respectively.