Life-cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess municipal solid waste (MSW) management system through life-cycle assessment methodology. A field study was carried out for characterisation of MSW and leachate analysis for the landfill site of Kolhapur city, India. The total MSW generation rate in the city was 180 t/d, out of which the organic matter content was 70·33% and the inorganic matter content was 29·67%. The characteristics of the leachate showed more pollution strength compared with the standards. SimaPro software was used for analysing environmental burden through different impact categories. Municipal waste management scenarios such as open dumping, composting, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis–gasification were compared with the centre for environmental studies method. The impact assessment categories that were considered were emission of greenhouse gases, ozone layer depletion, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, human toxicity and summer smog. The result of this study has revealed a more feasible treatment scenario based on environmental impact analysis. Open dumping has shown the highest environmental impact. Pyrolysis–gasification with energy recovery potential and composting is an environmentally favourable MSW management option.