Selection of waste-to-energy technology for distributed generation using IDOCRIW-Weighted TOPSIS method: A case study of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Waste-to-energy has evolved as a promising solution for sustainable power generation as well and waste management. To effectively harness the potential of the waste-to-energy technologies in a sustainable manner, an optimal choice among the diverse technologies is highly essential. The multi-dimensional nature of waste management makes selection of appropriate waste-to-energy option a complex problem. Therefore, a simple and computationally efficient decision tool is required to aid decision making. In this paper, a novel hybrid multi-criteria method based on IDOCRIW and TOPSIS are proposed for optimal selection of the appropriate waste-to-energy technologies for distributed generation. Fourteen criteria were considered spanning through technical, economic, environmental and social factors. Five technologies such as anaerobic digestion, landfill gas recovery, incineration, pyrolysis and gasification were selected due to their level of maturity and availability. The proposed model was tested using the City of Johannesburg, South Africa as a case study. The overall results indicated that anaerobic digestion is the most attractive technology with a relative closeness of 0.9724 to the ideal solution while incineration is ranked worst with a closeness of 0.6474 to the ideal solution. The result also revealed that the integration of anaerobic digestion and gasification could be more promising in terms of waste management. It could also be a good candidate for distributed generation in a microgrid application by serving as a local power generator when integrated to waste management systems of the City of Johannesburg.