Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities Research Articles

Unlocking the potential of municipal solid waste: Emergy accounting applied in a novel biorefinery

The rampant municipal solid waste (MSW) generation caused mainly by people's lifestyle has required technological solutions to deal with this global issue. This paper assess an innovative and integrated biorefinery (2IB) to manage MSW. The 2IB is rooted in the circular economy concept, and it differs from any other currently existing technological route in managing MSW due to its integrated processes that receives both inorganic and organic fractions at the same time, besides unveiling an innovative aspect related to thermoplastic production. Due to its scientific-based advantages, the emergy accounting (withy ‘m’) is considered as method to quantify the 2IB environmental performance, comparing the results with alternatives MSW management facilities. Results show that 2IB has similar performance for the three traditional emergy indicators (m-EYR of 1.17, m-ELR of 5.73 and m-ESI of 0.20) compared to incineration and landfilling, indicating low yield, moderate load on the environment, and unsustainable. On the other hand, the emergy return indicator (ERI of 20.33) indicates higher performance for the 2IB, in which for each solar emjoule (sej) – the measure unit of emergy – invested it generates a return of about 20 sej that becomes available as benefits for societal development. From an emergy perspective, results support that 2IB should be considered as a powerful technological alternative to manage MSW. This study contributes from a theoretical perspective with discussions on the emergy accounting procedures applied on systems located at far right side of energy hierarchy, while contributing from a practical perspective by providing technical information about the 2IB that supports decision makers towards more sustainable MSW management systems.

A Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Model for Selecting Centralized or Decentralized Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities: a Study from the Indian Perspective

A Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Model for Selecting Centralized or Decentralized Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities: a Study from the Indian Perspective

Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment Analysis of an Italian Composting Facility concerning Environmental Footprint Minimization and Renewable Energy Integration

The present paper aims to investigate the environmental impacts of a real municipal solid waste management facility operating in Italy including two power units, i.e., a combined heat and power system and an internal combustion engine, fed by the biogas produced from anaerobic digestion and waste disposal in sanitary landfill. The Life Cycle Assessment study is carried out in Simapro 9.1.1.7 and, in addition to the base case scenario, the implementation of additional renewable energy and circular economy solutions is evaluated. More precisely a PV plant on the roof of the anaerobic digesters section and the use of plastic and paper residues in a gasification process for additional heat and power production are considered. The main outcomes of the simulations demonstrate the following: (i) the benefits in terms of energy and fuel savings provided by the two power units; (ii) the environmental impact reduction due to the compost obtained from the anaerobic digestion of the organic waste as potential fertilizer; (iii) a potential power capacity of 2 MW through the gasification of the plastic and paper residues. With reference to the latter, despite bringing an increase of the carbon emissions (+48%) compared to the base case, it could contribute to reach higher environmental standards for MSW composting facilities.

Life Cycle Assessment of Shared Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities in a Metropolitan Region

In Brazil, there are densely populated metropolitan regions, motivated by a great migratory flux in the 1970s. One of the consequences is the increased per capita municipal solid waste generation, which has been constantly associated with deficient waste management. That is the case of 19 municipalities from Goiás State that inappropriately disposed of 73% of the produced household waste. According to Law No. 12,305/2010, these municipalities must implement a waste management facility with MSW recovery and landfill diversions to minimize environmental impacts. Furthermore, a specific life cycle assessment tool was used to conduct an environmental assessment of different alternatives for a shared waste management system among the metropolitan municipalities. The results have shown that the current scenario has the largest environmental impacts in seven of 12 assessed impact categories, among them the global warming potential. In this scenario, final waste disposal has the greatest environmental impact, particularly due to unlicensed landfills. Conversely, anaerobic digestion with greater landfill diversions generates the lowest emissions in eight of 12 impact categories. This demonstrates the importance of anaerobic digestion and the compliance of the diversion targets established by the Brazilian National Plan for Solid Waste Management.

Design of 3R solid waste processing facility (TPS 3R) in Tanjung Village as the development of municipal solid waste management facilities in North Lombok Regency

Municipal solid waste management in Tanjung Village that has not been fully served has caused the village sanitation level to deteriorate and triggered health problems, especially Dengue Fever in the rainy season. This research is expected to be able to correct the problem as a fulfillment of various government policies. This study aims to determine the percentage of areas covered. Units in the TPS 3R are based on the composition and characteristics of the waste and available land area; calculate the value of mass balance and total percentage recovery of TPS 3R. Waste generation and composition were analyzed according to SNI 19-3964-1994, while the characteristics were tested using proximate and ultimate analysis. The percentage of the area served is 36.02%. Units in TPS 3R, namely receiving and sorting location; chopping and drying of the organic waste area; active waste composting area; maturation area; sifting and compost packing area; compost warehouse; waste warehouse stall; office; parking lot; equipment warehouse; and leachate holding area with total land needed 2 347.26 m2. Mass balance shows that managed waste is 753.08 kg/day, wet waste recovered is 416.57 kg/day, dry waste recovered is 141.25 kg/day, and residual waste goes to landfill 195.27 kg/day that the total percentage of recovery is 74.07%.

The concentration of BTEX compounds and health risk assessment in municipal solid waste facilities and urban areas

In this study, human exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), along with their respective risk assessment is studied in four major units (n = 14-point sources) of the largest municipal solid waste management facilities (MSWF) in Iran. The results were compared with four urban sites in Tehran, capital of Iran. Workers at the pre-processing unit are exposed to the highest total BTEX (151 μg m−3). In specific, they were exposed to benzene concentrations of 11 μg m−3. Moreover, the total BTEX (t-BTEX) concentrations measured over the conveyor belt was 198 μg m−3 at most, followed by trommel (104), and active landfills (43). The mean concentration of ambient t-BTEX in Tehran is 100 μg m−3. On average, xylenes and toluene have the highest concentrations in both on-site and urban environments, with mean values of 24 and 21, and 41 and 37 μg m−3, respectively. Even though the non-carcinogenic risk of occupational exposure is negligible, BTEX is likely to increase the chance of carcinogenic risks (1.7E-05) for workers at the pre-processing unit. A definite carcinogenic risk of 1.3E-04, and non-carcinogenic effect, of HI = 1.6 were observed in one urban site. With the exception of the pre-processing unit, the citizens of Tehran had higher exposure to BTEX. Overall, BTEX concentrations in the largest MSWF of Iran remains an issue of public health concern.

Impact of Odor from a Landfill Site on Surrounding Areas: A Case Study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Airborne pollutants and odor emissions generated from landfill operations can adversely affect human health and social well-being. Consequently, these pollutants and emissions must be controlled and regulated. The dispersion of odors in the areas surrounding landfills can create public complaints regarding air quality and can increase social tension. The purpose of this study is to explore the odor impact from a landfill on neighboring areas by measuring odor concentration and conducting a community survey. The research was conducted on Da Phuoc municipal solid waste management facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The results of our study indicate that odor concentration is proportional to distance from a landfill. By contrast, the annoyance level of residents differs between areas. This research is the first attempt to explore the odor impact from a landfill by measuring odor concentration in the Ho Chi Minh city of Vietnam. Our findings can help enhance environmental protection.

Application of a geographic information system-based fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model to locate potential municipal solid waste incineration plant sites: A case study of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.

Locating candidate sites for municipal solid waste management facilities is a multi-criteria decision and involves spatial consideration that all municipalities have to deal with. This study aims to develop a holistic model for locating the most suitable facility sites in municipal solid waste management considering environmental and economic factors, and its application to an incineration facility in Izmir as a case study. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model was developed by integrating multi-criteria decision analysis methods and a geographic information system. A stepwise methodology was conducted, including generating a spatial database, exclusion analysis, preference analysis to determine spatial membership degrees and weights for each preference factor and generating the final land suitability map. A high-resolution land suitability map and the point vector format data of potential incineration plant sites were created as the model outputs. The case study results demonstrated that an incineration facility with a total capacity of 117 MWe could be established for energy recovery from 5649 tonnes day-1 municipal solid waste. Four locations were determined as potential incineration facility sites in the case study area. The model can be utilized for different study areas to aid decision-makers in the process of site selection for not only incineration facilities but also for other municipal solid waste management facilities.

A two-stage multi-attribute decision-making model for selecting appropriate locations of waste transfer stations in urban centers

Selecting appropriate locations for municipal solid waste (MSW) management facilities, such as transfer stations, is an important issue in rapidly developing regions. Multiple alternatives and evaluation attributes need to be analyzed for finalizing the locations of these facilities. Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approaches are found to be very effective for ranking several potential locations and hence selecting the best among them based on the identified attributes. However, conventional MADM approaches fail to find the rankings of alternatives derived from all possible combinations of these potential locations. Therefore, this study presents a two-stage MADM model that also accounts for all possible combinations of locations. This study evaluates economical, environmental, social and technical attributes based on realistic conditions of the study area, i.e., Nashik city (India). The results provide the ranks of all possible combinations along with their probabilities of rank reversibility. The mean and standard deviation of the relative closeness are further evaluated for the top-ranking locations under distinct schemes. The present study will help stakeholders in finding suitable locations for MSW management facilities while considering economic, environmental, social and technical attributes.

Economic analysis of a shared municipal solid waste management facility in a metropolitan region

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management in dense urban areas is a challenge for municipalities, especially in developing countries, which commonly have deficient waste management. For example, the metropolitan region of Goiás State, Brazil, has 19 municipalities that dispose of about 72.5% of total MSW in unlicensed MSW final disposal facilities. Therefore, this study analysed the investment and operating costs, and revenues of a municipal solid waste management facility, projected for 20 years, shared among these 19 municipalities. The economic viability analysis, has shown that, regardless of the management facility type, MSW collection and transport are the most expensive cost components, accounting for about 60% of MSW management operating costs. For an Internal Rate of Return of 0%, anaerobic digestion is 11% more expensive (in total) than using community composting. For 2040 (last year), the monthly MSW management tariffs will vary between 3.5 and 10.8 R$·inhabitant−1·month−1, depending on the municipality. So, as the unit price of biowaste treatments lowers with waste quantities, for the municipalities with large biowaste quantities, anaerobic digestion becomes recommended for its economic attractiveness. This study can serve as a model for other municipalities in Brazil and elsewhere, helping public decision makers to establish a strategy for MSW management.

Economic analysis of a shared municipal solid waste management facility in Goiás state, Brazil

Economic analysis of a shared municipal solid waste management facility in Goiás state, Brazil

Proposal of an Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities for Small Municipalities

Most Brazilian municipalities are small, i.e., with less than 50,000 inhabitants. In the State of Goiás, for example, 91% of the municipalities are small. Of these, only 4% have their municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed in authorized landfills. Thus, the present study aimed to propose a municipal solid waste management facility (MSWMF) shared between two small municipalities of the microregion of Chapada dos Veadeiros, in Northeast Goiás. The reason for selecting this microregion is that it is composed only of small municipalities that use waste dumps for the disposal of their MSW. For this purpose, the areas subject to approval or restricted for the installation of a MSWMF were identified with the aid of a geographic information system (GIS). Also, the host municipality (HM) of the MSWMF proposed for Campos Belos and Monte Alegre de Goiás was defined with the use of mass geometry methodology. According to the results obtained, 59% of the territories of these two municipalities that will integrate the proposed MSWMF are restricted for the installation of landfills, and Monte Alegre de Goiás was selected to host the landfill.

Proposal for the Location of a Municipal Solid Waste Management Facility for a Metropolitan Region

Only 16 of the 246 municipalities of Goiás State, Brazil, dispose their municipal solid waste (MSW) in licensed landfills. Therefore, this study proposes the host municipality (HM) of the future shared MSW management facility (MSWMF), serving the Metropolitana de Goiânia (MGyn) microregion. First, the potential areas to construct MSW final disposal facilities (landfills) were identified. Subsequently, using mass point geometry, the HM of the proposed MSWMF for MGyn was defined. The results show that only 19.4% of the area of the studied municipalities is available or subject to approval for landfill construction. The HM will be Aparecida de Goiânia, which will process most of the MSW and send the rejects of treated MSW to the landfill that will be established in the neighboring municipality of Hidrolândia. Additionally, this MSWMF will serve 19 municipalities and will have nine waste transfer stations that will receive waste from 17 municipalities, to minimize MSW transport costs.

Use of a geographic information system to find areas for locating of municipal solid waste management facilities

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a pressing concern for Goiás State, Brazil. Of the state's 246 municipalities, only 16 send their waste to licensed landfills. This means that 93% of the cities in Goiás dispose of their MSW inappropriately, in dumps or unlicensed landfills. This practice poses a danger to both the environment and to public health. On this basis, the goal of this study was to survey potential landfill sites in Goiás. A geographic information system tool was used to first identify Goiás landfills and dumps and then examine them, to check whether they are located in legally restricted areas. This tool cross-references morphology, land use and occupancy, conservation of the environment, public health and population projections for 2040. It then outputs restriction-free areas that are suitable for landfill construction. The results indicate that, by 2040, Goiás will have 59,500 km2 available for landfills, i.e., 17% of the state's total area. Conversely, 60% of the state's geographical area will be off limits for landfill construction. The most urgent need is in the Goiânia Metropolitan area, which will be producing about 40%, of 6,850 t⋅day−1, of the MSW generated in the state by 2040. This metropolitan area will have the smallest restriction-free area for landfill construction (832 km2). A total of 235 MSW final disposal facilities were identified in Goiás: 15 licensed landfills, 23 unlicensed landfills and 197 dumps. Of these, 15 are in permitted areas, 38 are in areas subject to approval and 182 are in restricted areas. These numbers highlight the need for Goiás municipalities to terminate and/or readjust landfills and unlicensed dumps and to set up new MSW management facilities that conform to the legal and environmental requirements and the expected population growth.

Municipal solid waste management planning for Xiamen City, China: a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based approach.

In this study, a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based waste management planning (SFIWP) model was developed and applied for supporting long-term planning of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Xiamen City, the special economic zone of Fujian Province, China. In the SFIWP model, the techniques of inventory model, stochastic linear fractional programming, and mixed-integer linear programming were integrated in a framework. Issues of waste inventory in MSW management system were solved, and the system efficiency was maximized through considering maximum net-diverted wastes under various constraint-violation risks. Decision alternatives for waste allocation and capacity expansion were also provided for MSW management planning in Xiamen. The obtained results showed that about 4.24×106t of waste would be diverted from landfills when p i is 0.01, which accounted for 93% of waste in Xiamen City, and the waste diversion per unit of cost would be 26.327×103t per $106. The capacities of MSW management facilities including incinerators, composting facility, and landfills would be expanded due to increasing waste generation rate.

Full cost accounting on existing and future municipal solid waste management facilities in Greece

<div> <p>In this work, we performed a detailed full cost accounting for 7 types of existing and planned municipal solid waste management facilities (sanitary landfills, anaerobic digestion, biodrying, incineration, aerobic mechanical and biological, material recovery and waste transfer stations) in Greece. We used investment costs (IC), operating costs (OC) and future (restoration) costs (FC) to calculate the actual total unit cost (€/t) of the above types of facilities in 2012 prices. Mathematical cost functions were developed to describe the total cost (€/t) as a function of the MSW input rate (t/y). Actual data from several operating facilities in Greece were used, as well as estimated costs from facilities that are planned or are under construction in Greece. Results showed that the sanitary landfills follow the economy of scale with an average total unit cost of €45/t. The unit cost of the planned anaerobic digestion facilities ranged from €50 to €104/t. The biodrying facilities’ unit cost ranged from €48 to €138/t, whilst the sole MSW incineration facility was found to have a unit cost of €115/t. Aerobic MBT facilities did not follow the economy of scale. The average total unit cost from 23 MRFs was €32/t. The depreciated investment cost of 18 waste transfer stations (WTS) ranged from €0.5/t to €28/t.</p> </div> <p> </p>

Residents’ concerns and attitudes toward a municipal solid waste landfill: integrating a questionnaire survey and GIS techniques

The ever-growing industry of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal appeals to the growing need for disposal facilities, and MSW treatment facilities are increasingly an environmental and public health concern. Residents living near MSW management facilities are confronted with various risk perceptions, especially odour. In this study, in an effort to assist responsible decision-makers in better planning and managing such a project, a structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to assess the nearby residents' concerns and attitudes surrounding the Laogang Landfill in Shanghai. Geographic information system techniques and relevance analysis were employed to conduct the spatial analysis of physical perceptions, especially odour annoyance. The findings of the research indicate that a significant percentage of the responding sample was aware of the negative impacts of landfills on the environment and public health, and residents in close proximity preferred to live farther from the landfill. The results from the spatial analysis demonstrated a definite degree of correlation between odour annoyance and distance to the facility and proved that the benefits of the socially disadvantaged have been neglected. The research findings also direct attention to the important role of public participation, information disclosure, transparency in management, and mutual communication to avoid conflicts and build social trust.

Generating Alternatives Using Simulation-Optimization Combined with Niching Operators to Address Unmodelled Objectives in a Waste Management Facility Expansion Planning Case

Public sector decision-making typically involves complex problems that are riddled with incompatible performance objectives and possess competing design requirements which are very difficult – if not impossible – to quantify and capture when supporting decision models need to be constructed. There are invariably unmodelled design issues, not apparent at the time of model creation, which can greatly impact the acceptability of the solutions proposed by the model. Consequently, it is generally preferable to create several quantifiably good alternatives that provide multiple, disparate perspectives and very different approaches to the particular problem. These alternatives should possess near-optimal objective measures with respect to the known modelled objective(s), but be fundamentally different from each other in terms of the system structures characterized by their decision variables. By generating a set of very different solutions, it is hoped that some of the dissimilar alternatives can provide very different perspectives that may serve to satisfy the unmodelled objectives. This study shows how simulation-optimization (SO) modelling can be combined with niching operators to efficiently generate multiple policy alternatives that satisfy required system performance criteria in stochastically uncertain environments and yet are maximally different in the decision space. This new stochastic approach is very computationally efficient, since it permits the simultaneous generation of good solution alternatives in a single computational run of the SO algorithm. The efficacy and efficiency of this modelling-to-generate-alternatives (MGA) method is specifically demonstrated on a municipal solid waste management facility expansion case.

Modelling to Generate Alternatives Using Simulation-Driven Optimization: An Application to Waste Management Facility Expansion Planning

Public sector decision-making typically involves complex problems that are riddled with competing performance objecttives and possess design requirements which are difficult to capture at the time that supporting decision models are constructed. Environmental policy formulation can prove additionally complicated because the various system components often contain considerable stochastic uncertainty and frequently numerous stakeholders exist that hold completely incompatible perspectives. Consequently, there are invariably unmodelled performance design issues, not apparent at the time of the problem formulation, which can greatly impact the acceptability of any proposed solutions. While a mathematically optimal solution might provide the best solution to a modelled problem, normally this will not be the best solution to the underlying real problem. Therefore, in public environmental policy formulation, it is generally preferable to be able to create several quantifiably good alternatives that provide very different approaches and perspectives to the problem. This study shows how a computationally efficient simulation-driven optimization approach that com- bines evolutionary optimization with simulation can be used to generate multiple policy alternatives that satisfy required system criteria and are maximally different in decision space. The efficacy of this modelling-to-generate-alternatives method is specifically demonstrated on a municipal solid waste management facility expansion case.

Mercury in Municipal Solid Waste in China and Its Control: A Review

Although a potentially significant and preventable source of environmental pollution, mercury in municipal solid waste (MSW) has not received adequate attention in China. Discarded mercury-containing products, if not recycled, ultimately release mercury to air, soil, and groundwater, even after being properly collected and disposed of in MSW management facilities. This review presents an overview on mercury in MSW and describes the emissions associated with landfilling, incineration, and composting in China. Besides end-of-pipe technologies for controlling mercury emissions from MSW management, strategies for controlling mercury in MSW are also discussed, focusing on mercury source reduction and recycling. Batteries and fluorescent lamps contribute to approximately three-quarters of mercury in MSW, and are expected to remain as significant sources of mercury in the near future. Reducing or eliminating the mercury contents in household products, particularly batteries and fluorescent lamps, should be the top priority in controlling mercury in MSW, while it is also important to set mercury contents in consumer products at acceptable and achievable levels based on a life-cycle approach. Meanwhile, cost-effective recycling programs should be developed targeting products containing elemental mercury, such as medical thermometers and sphygmomanometers, and waste products with high mercury contents (e.g., button cells) as well.