Abstract
Abstract: The present study has analyzed the techno-economic feasibility of applying gasification technology to the energy use of Municipal Solid Waste in an industrial plant. In that case, the obtained gas shall be used as an alternative source for electric energy generation. The technical feasibility analysis took into account the waste suitability to the gasification process, as well as the gasification process efficiency, through tests carried out in a testing plant, and an estimation of electric power was obtained. The economic viability studied the indicators Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Discounted Payback considering the cash flow estimation from plant installation and operation. A univariate sensitivity analysis of Net Present Value has considered the variables with influence on the cash flow, such as the Minimum Attractiveness Return Rate, energy tariff, installed power, operating and maintenance costs and the undertaking unitary cost. The results suggested the technical feasibility considering both the suitability of the waste for the process and its efficiency, which reached values of 62% allowing to reach an estimated electric power of 1.46 MW. The economic viability was verified under the studied conditions. The sensitivity analysis showed that the economic viability was sensitive to the variation of some parameters estimated on cash flow, which in turn leads to an understanding of the need for subsidies as an incentive to the technology effective viability. This study provides decisions makers with data and information on how to adopt the gasification technology in Brazil.
Highlights
The generation, collection and final disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), those originated from domestic waste and public cleaning (Lei n. 12.305, Brasil, 2010) are part of the serious problems in urban metabolism, raising concerns regarding the amount generated, and of the methods used in its neutralization (MesjaszLech, 2014)
A sensitivity study was performed on the Net Present Value (NPV) considering the effect of the variation of the main parameters used in the cash flow modeling
It can be observed that: (i) the NPV of the project decreases as the discount rate increases, that is, the project profitability decreases; (ii) the project is viable for Minimum Attractiveness Return Rate (MARR) values less than Internal Rate of Return (IRR) values (10.63%); and (iii) NPV is very sensitive to MARR changes, so MARR should be well estimated in order to avoid losses in the project profitability
Summary
The generation, collection and final disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), those originated from domestic waste and public cleaning (Lei n. 12.305, Brasil, 2010) are part of the serious problems in urban metabolism, raising concerns regarding the amount generated, and of the methods used in its neutralization (MesjaszLech, 2014).The inadequate destination of MSW is accountable for pollution and environmental degradation, Greenhouse Gas emissions, disease spread and social vulnerability (Azevedo et al, 2015). The generation, collection and final disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), those originated from domestic waste and public cleaning The main forms of MSW final disposal are landfills, composting and incineration (Sontag et al, 2014). Even more worrisome data show that in the country the other 41.6% of collected waste, or 29.7 million tons of MSW, are still deposited in dumps. These dumps don’t rely on adequate measures to protect the environment against damage and degradation, causing environmental pollution and health problems (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Limpeza Pública e Resíduos Especiais [ABRELPE], 2019)
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