Municipal Solid Waste Resource Research Articles

A clean optimization approach for sustainable waste-to-energy using integrated technology

In this study, we propose an innovative approach to regulate municipal solid waste (MSW) resource utilization and renewable energy conversion. Under the concept of circular economy, clean anaerobic digestion (AD) and gasification are combined to form integrated technology to achieve sustainable waste-to-energy. A matched multi-objective optimization model is developed to balance the economic and environmental benefits during the waste-to-energy process under uncertainty. Robust optimization is used to produce optimal solutions that are feasible even in the worst-case scenario in terms of uncertain parameters. The practicality of the proposed methodology is tested in a real-world case, and it is found that utilizing integrated technology can effectively carry out MSW resource utilization while also obtaining ample renewable energy. Robust optimization is used to conduct scenario analyses on the fluctuation interval of the uncertain electricity subsidy in order to assess its impact on the model solutions. It was found that the cost and carbon emission objectives were highly sensitive to changes in electricity subsidy. Although AD has been the primary technology used for waste-to-energy, the use of gasification in integrated technology has been increasing. While the treatment plans of various MSW types were different, there were still some commonalities.

Study on the Vulnerability of Municipal Solid Waste Resource Symbiosis Network—A Case Study Based on the Construction of Zero Waste City in Panjin

Building zero-waste cities is an important initiative. It helps China to meet the challenges of climate change, build an ecological civilization, and build a beautiful and high-quality China. Through the recycling and safe disposal of waste, the ultimate goal of the construction of zero-waste cities is to minimize the amount of solid waste. Municipal Solid Waste Resource Symbiosis Network (MSWRSN) is the best way to achieve zero-waste cities. However, this system is vulnerable to many factors. These factors will restrict the construction and development of zero-waste cities. This study proposes a vulnerability measurement method of MSWRSN based on energy exchange. Panjin, a city in Liaoning Province, is used as an example to simulate it. The vulnerability measurement method of MSWRSN is composed of three parts. First, the study adopts a directional weighting approach to design the topologic structure of MSWRSN. Second, Dijkstra’s algorithm is used to analyze two topological parameters, node mesonumber and edge mesonumber. It also focuses on single-node failure mode and edge failure mode. Finally, the study uses a functional measure function to calculate the vulnerability of each node and each edge in symbiotic networks. The results of the study show that (1) MSWRSN in Panjin has not yet formed a nested pattern. The symbiotic patterns of different industrial chains are also different. (2) Node failure has a greater impact on MSWRSN. (3) There are differences in the vulnerability of the industry chain in the network. Based on the findings of the study, this study advises managing the vulnerability of MSWRSN from the following aspects. It includes increasing the diversity of symbiotic units, promoting the development of symbiotic networks to nested types, and strengthening risk monitoring and management of core enterprises.

Evaluating the Environmental and Economic Performance of Municipal Solid Waste Disposal by All-Component Resource Recovery

Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become increasingly challenging. In this study, we used life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental impacts and financial performance of a new approach for MSW disposals, namely All-components Resource Recovery (AcRR), which is based on automatic sorting. We compared AcRR with the standardized Waste-to-Energy incineration (WtE) to provide decision-making support for MSW management. The results show that WtE and AcRR are both good MSW resource treatment methods. Through MSW disposal, WtE generates electricity, while AcRR generates secondary resources such as metals, plastics, pulp and organic fertilizers. WtE releases trace amounts of HCl, PM10, heavy metals, dioxins and dust, while AcRR does not produce such pollutants; AcRR produces more odor gases such as SO2 and H2S. AcRR produces four environmental issues, i.e., Global Warming, Acidification, Photochemical Ozone Synthesis, and Eutrophication, each of which has a smaller impact than WtE; WtE has two more impacts than AcRR: Human Toxicity and Soot and Ashes. The total environmental impact potential of WtE is 3.38 times that of AcRR, and the greenhouse gas emission equivalent is 6.82 times that of AcRR. The cost of construction and operation of AcRR is lower than that of WtE, while the net profit of AcRR is much higher. In conclusion, AcRR is able to screen the mixed MSW into various secondary resources with less environmental emissions and environmental impacts and better financial performance; it may be a promising MSW disposal approach, especially for small cities, but a corresponding supporting industrial system is needed.

Processing of municipal solid waste resources for a circular economy in China: An overview

To realize the management of municipal solid waste (MSW), China uses MSW conversion technology to generate fuel and other byproducts through which the operating costs (e.g., capital and operational) are maintained to some extent. The amount of MSW produced per capita in China is a serious problem. Therefore, a circular economy method was investigated that can not only manage MSW safely but also convert MSW into energy to meet the growing energy demand. This study summarized the current status of MSW treatment and gives an overview of several waste-to-energy conversion technologies by describing their possible and existing situation in China and identifying related challenges. Currently, none of the single technologies can effectively realize waste-to-energy conversion. Only in this way can waste-to-energy technology achieve commercial success and community preparedness.

Recovery of Municipal Solid Waste Recyclables under Different Incentive Schemes in Tamale, Ghana

The recovery of recyclables from the waste stream is a vital factor to consider in any recycling scheme since it enhances the quality of recyclables and ensures efficient recycling schemes. This study was conducted in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana to investigate incentive options that can promote municipal solid waste resource recovery to support policy decisions on the formalization of recycling scheme in the Metropolis. Solid waste source separation scheme was set up in four different waste management service zones in the Metropolis. The quantity of separated materials, set-out rate, as well as separation efficiency of the targeted materials in the scheme were also assessed. The result of the study indicated a high recovery factor for dry recyclables (53.97%) as against food waste (10.03%). There was a significant effect of incentives on waste material quantities. Significant differences also occurred in the set-out rates and separation efficiency. Moreover, the study showed that employing prize as a reward scheme in addition to the provision of a waste storage facility had a high propensity for waste material recovery. The study demonstrated that the quantity of waste materials that may be retrieved in a recycling scheme in different solid waste management service zones depends on the type of incentive employed in the scheme and the service zone considered.

An overview of municipal solid waste-to-energy application in Indian scenario

Municipal solid waste management is creating serious environmental issues for both developing and developed countries. Proper waste management solutions should be adopted to meet technological feasibility, and it should be financially and environmentally sustainable as well as socially and legally acceptable. Developing countries like India have introduced new policy frameworks for the proper management of municipal solid waste resources along with waste-to-energy recovery and material recycling. This paper gives a deep insight into municipal waste management systems and examines the energy and environmental policy issues to identify weak points in selection criteria for suitable technology. India is facing serious issues in the management of municipal solid waste and is trying to introduce better management solutions. From a technical perspective, both gasification and anaerobic digestion seem to be attractive when compared to traditional management approaches, but the economic feasibility of these technologies needs to be verified.

Novel approach to quantify municipal solid waste management hierarchy based on analytical hierarchy process

A novel approach to quantify and apply the municipal solid waste management hierarchy is presented in this study. In this study, weights were assigned to the treatment methods using the analytical hierarchy process. The consistency ratio was found to be within the allowable range (0.10), indicating that weights assigned met the requirements of the analytical hierarchy process. The assigned weights for the municipal solid waste hierarchy treatment methods were prevention = 0.44, reduction/minimization = 0.27, reuse = 0.12, recycle = 0.08, incineration = 0.05, and landfilling = 0.04. The highest benefits were derived when all the treatment methods in the municipal solid waste hierarchy were applied based on the optimum weights generated by the analytical hierarchy process. It was, however, observed that a combination of reduction/minimization, reuse and recycling, was more effective and beneficial. Also, selecting only one treatment method gave the least benefits except for reduction/minimization. Also, applying up to two treatment methods yielded much benefit in some instances compared to a combination of three. When the proposed model was applied to data obtained from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in Ghana on population and total municipal solid waste received at selected landfill sites over a period of 7 years, it proved to be ultimately effective. The developed municipal solid waste hierarchy model equations, when properly applied will ensure sustainable treatment and provide for the exploitation of municipal solid waste resources. It is therefore a new promising module for effective planning, decision making, and sustainable municipal solid waste management.

Enhancing municipal solid waste recycling through reorganizing waste pickers: A case study in Nanjing, China.

Waste pickers (WPs) play an indispensable role by helping to control municipal solid waste (MSW). However, they constitute the entry-level workforce of the waste recycling industry and receive little attention from the general public. In China, approximately 4 million WPs make their living by collecting MSW recyclable materials. To assess the role of WPs, an extensive social survey including urban management decision-makers, recycling industrial circle insiders, WPs, as well as common citizen respondents has been conducted in the city of Nanjing, China. The results confirmed that 70-80% of recyclable MSW materials were collected by WPs in the informal sector, which are an integral component of the waste recycling system. In Nanjing, the recyclable material collected annually by WPs is about 505,000 tons, which creates annual economic value of about 78.6-84.7 million USD. However, WPs account for only 6.8-7.3% of the entire industrial chain of the recycling economy. In Nanjing, WPs are able to save an annual MSW disposal cost of about 17.6-22.0 million USD. The resource recovery rate is also increased by 1.9-8.0%. The survey results support the experience of establishing a community-based semi-official picker organizational framework, accompanied by relevant laws, regulations, and preferential policies that would improve the resource recovery rate and pickers' living and working conditions in order to achieve more effective and hazard-free MSW resource utilization. It is anticipated that the results of this research will be instrumental for the improvement of the MSW recycling system and WP management in other cities in China and other developing countries.

Potential for using municipal solid waste as a resource for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is a carbon removal technology that offers permanent net removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. One of the significant bioenergy resources is organic waste collected from municipal solid waste (MSW). The goal of this study was to provide an estimate of the global potential for using municipal solid waste as a resource for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and to compare the feasibility of two specific BECCS options: municipal solid waste incineration with carbon capture and storage (MSW-CCS), and landfill gas combusted in a gas turbine with carbon capture and storage (LFG-CCS). To assess the feasibility of MSW-based BECCS options, techno-economic and environmental impact assessments were conducted. In the case of a “business-as-usual” scenario with no emission policy in effect, the levelised cost of electricity production from both BECCS options is higher than a coal power plant with CCS. However, these BECCS systems offer a lower cost of avoided CO2. Introducing renewable energy certificates or negative emission refund schemes to BECCS has a significant impact on the economic viability of these technologies in coal-dominant power markets. Environmental impact assessment shows that around 0.7kg CO2-eq is removed for each kg of wet MSW incinerated, for the MSW-CCS scenario. This translates to approximately negative 2.8 billion tonnes CO2 if all the available 4 billion tonnes MSW generated per year by 2100 is utilised in a MSW-CCS system. The net GHG emission of the LFG-CCS system with an average LFG collection rate of 75% was 0.56kg CO2-eq. Challenges include the dispersed nature of MSW resources and the lack of economic support schemes, such as commonly apply to solar and wind. Nonetheless, MSW-based BECCS technologies have significant potential for abating and in some cases removing considerable amounts of the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, thereby contributing significantly to the COP21 emission reduction targets.

Sustainable Management of the Municipal Solid Waste Resource Potential in the Context of Product Lifecycle Continuity

The theoretical foundations of sustainable management of municipal solid waste resource potential that covers the entire product life cycle are developed. The proposed management system of resource potential this waste is aimed simultaneously at its forming and using and is intended essentially for creating the necessary economic, environmental and technical pre-requisites for the transition of waste into the category of material resources.

Gaseous emissions during concurrent combustion of biomass and non-recyclable municipal solid waste

BackgroundBiomass and municipal solid waste offer sustainable sources of energy; for example to meet heat and electricity demand in the form of combined cooling, heat and power. Combustion of biomass has a lesser impact than solid fossil fuels (e.g. coal) upon gas pollutant emissions, whilst energy recovery from municipal solid waste is a beneficial component of an integrated, sustainable waste management programme. Concurrent combustion of these fuels using a fluidised bed combustor may be a successful method of overcoming some of the disadvantages of biomass (high fuel supply and distribution costs, combustion characteristics) and characteristics of municipal solid waste (heterogeneous content, conflict with materials recycling). It should be considered that combustion of municipal solid waste may be a financially attractive disposal route if a 'gate fee' value exists for accepting waste for combustion, which will reduce the net cost of utilising relatively more expensive biomass fuels.ResultsEmissions of nitrogen monoxide and sulphur dioxide for combustion of biomass are suppressed after substitution of biomass for municipal solid waste materials as the input fuel mixture. Interactions between these and other pollutants such as hydrogen chloride, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide indicate complex, competing reactions occur between intermediates of these compounds to determine final resultant emissions.ConclusionsFluidised bed concurrent combustion is an appropriate technique to exploit biomass and municipal solid waste resources, without the use of fossil fuels. The addition of municipal solid waste to biomass combustion has the effect of reducing emissions of some gaseous pollutants.

Mobilizing resources to collect municipal solid waste: illustrative East Asian case studies *

Experience in several East Asian countries of collecting and disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) through the mobilization of locally available resources is discussed. These resources are represented by various stakeholders in MSW management, namely, the public sector, the formal private sector, the informal private sector and community and non-governmental organizations. Attention is given to the nature of MSW, the nature and role of each major MSW stakeholder, the constraints to the development of partnerships among MSW stakeholders, illustrative case studies of MSW resource mobilization in East Asia and lessons learned from these experiences. Among the lessons learned are the critical importance of: (1) a service-oriented collaboration between public MSW authorities and other MSW community resource stakeholders; (2) the involvement of all MSW stakeholders in MSW decision-making; (3) the selection of affordable and sustainable MSW management technologies; and (4) the identification and recovery of MSW investment, collection and disposal costs.

Mobilizing resources to collect municipal solid waste: illustrative East Asian case studies

Experience in several East Asian countries of collecting and disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) through the mobilization of locally available resources is discussed. These resources are represented by various stakeholders in MSW management, namely, the public sector, the formal private sector, the informal private sector and community and non- governmental organizations. Attention is given to the nature of MSW, the nature and role of each major MSW stakeholder, the constraints to the development of partnerships among MSW stakeholders, illustrative case studies of MSW resource mobilization in East Asia and lessons learned from these experiences. Among the lessons learned are the critical importance of: (1) a service-oriented collaboration between public MSW authorities and other MSW community resource stakeholders; (2) the involvement of all MSW stakeholders in MSW decision- making ; (3) the selection of affordable and sustainable MSW management technologies; and (4) the identification and recovery of MSW investment, collection and disposal costs.

Biological Monitoring of Employees with Potential Exposures to Inorganic Lead and Cadmium at Municipal Solid Waste Resource Recovery, or Trash-to-Energy, Facilities

Abstract Resource recovery (trash-to-energy) facilities reduce the volume of municipal solid waste through incineration, while generating steam for the production of electrical power. The noncombustible, dustlike ash residue produced by these plants is composed of inorganic constituents and metal contaminants which are concentrated from the original trash, including inorganic lead and cadmium. Handling and working around the ash has the potential to cause worker exposures to these metals. This ash is ultimately disposed of in appropriately designed and permitted landfills. Although overall lead and cadmium exposures to workers in the industry are generally quite low, a small number of dusty jobs such as ash handlers have resulted in exposures that exceed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit for lead. Personal protective equipment (PPE), and in particular personal respiratory protection (air-purifying respirators with high efficiency particulate air filtration), and ...

IEA bioenergy agreement task XI: Municipal solid waste conversion to energy end of task review

This paper overviews the main work and achievements of the International Energy Agency's Task on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) conversion to energy. The objectives of the Task were to encourage information exchange between research and development programmes and other new initiatives relating to energy recovery from MSW, and to use this information to benefit research, development and deployment programmes on energy recovery from MSW in participating countries. Governments are now encouraging the sustainable use of MSW resources, both domestically and as part of their international obligations. These encourage development of a waste management hierarchy which places greater emphasis on waste prevention and minimisation through materials and energy recovery. The IEA Task provided participating countries with an international perspective in the areas of thermal technologies (incineration of MSW and refuse derived fuel and ash residues), biological technologies (landfill gas and anaerobic digestion of MSW) and generic issues relating to MSW conversion technologies (source separation, recycling, mechanical processing, sampling and analytical protocols). Work was carried out through meetings, study tours and networks. The main benefits from this international collaboration were that participants obtained up-to-date information on technical and non-technical issues affecting energy from waste technologies, including legislation, methodologies, and plant experience, that they could then use to encourage the development of energy from waste in their own countries. The work of the Task will continue for a further three years during 1995–1997.

On the regulation of municipal solid waste resource recovery incinerators.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently performed a risk analysis of the nationwide health impacts of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration. On the basis of this risk analysis, the EPA has proposed that acid gas and particulate control technology be included on all new MSW/RDF-fired resource recovery incinerators built in the US. Although scrubbers reduce acid gas emissions, it has never been demonstrated that such reductions are needed to protect health. The authors believe that the EPA's analysis is misleading and leads to the incorrect conclusion that scrubbers are necessary on new incinerators. They present an alternative assessment.