IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v35y2010i12p5063-5069.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Performance analysis of energy recovery in an Italian municipal solid waste landfill

Author

Listed:
  • Zappini, Giovanni
  • Cocca, Paola
  • Rossi, Diana

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to assess the techno-economic viability of the use of fuel cell as an alternative technology for landfill gas energy recovery. The case of an Italian municipal solid waste landfill is analyzed. The landfill was opened in 1998 and in 2001 the energy recovery facility started operation. The current landfill gas conversion system is based on internal combustion engine technology. However, the drawbacks of internal combustion engine in terms of conversion efficiency and air emissions are widely acknowledged. Some authors have proposed molten carbonate fuel cell as one of the most interesting solution for landfill gas energy recovery for the near future. Fuel cells have proven capable of providing superior energy efficiency and environmental performance, but their widespread use is constrained by the capital cost required. Using actual data from the landfill, a comparison between the current energy recovery system and a hypothetical alternative solution based on molten carbonate fuel cell is performed. The analysis assesses the cost-effectiveness of the two solutions, considering also some environmental externalities usually not included in traditional economic assessment. The main strengths and weaknesses of the two landfill gas energy recovery systems are highlighted and some new insights into molten carbonate fuel cell overall sustainability are provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Zappini, Giovanni & Cocca, Paola & Rossi, Diana, 2010. "Performance analysis of energy recovery in an Italian municipal solid waste landfill," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 5063-5069.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:35:y:2010:i:12:p:5063-5069
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.08.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544210004391
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2010.08.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rasi, S. & Veijanen, A. & Rintala, J., 2007. "Trace compounds of biogas from different biogas production plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1375-1380.
    2. Lund, Henrik, 2007. "Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 912-919.
    3. El-Kordy, M.N & Badr, M.A & Abed, K.A & Ibrahim, Said M.A, 2002. "Economical evaluation of electricity generation considering externalities," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 317-328.
    4. Neef, H.-J., 2009. "International overview of hydrogen and fuel cell research," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 327-333.
    5. Spiegel, R.J & Preston, J.L, 2003. "Technical assessment of fuel cell operation on landfill gas at the Groton, CT, landfill," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 397-409.
    6. Roth, Ian F. & Ambs, Lawrence L., 2004. "Incorporating externalities into a full cost approach to electric power generation life-cycle costing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(12), pages 2125-2144.
    7. Lombardi, Lidia & Carnevale, Ennio & Corti, Andrea, 2006. "Greenhouse effect reduction and energy recovery from waste landfill," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 3208-3219.
    8. Lior, Noam, 2010. "Sustainable energy development: The present (2009) situation and possible paths to the future," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 3976-3994.
    9. Spiegel, R.J & Preston, J.L & Trocciola, J.C, 1999. "Fuel cell operation on landfill gas at Penrose Power Station," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(8), pages 723-742.
    10. Spiegel, Ronald J. & Trocciola, J.C. & Preston, J.L., 1997. "Test results for fuel-cell operation on landfill gas," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(8), pages 777-786.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mambeli Barros, Regina & Tiago Filho, Geraldo Lúcio & da Silva, Tiago Rodrigo, 2014. "The electric energy potential of landfill biogas in Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 150-164.
    2. Buonomano, Annamaria & Calise, Francesco & Ferruzzi, Gabriele & Palombo, Adolfo, 2015. "Molten carbonate fuel cell: An experimental analysis of a 1kW system fed by landfill gas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 146-160.
    3. Sathre, Roger & Gustavsson, Leif & Truong, Nguyen Le, 2017. "Climate effects of electricity production fuelled by coal, forest slash and municipal solid waste with and without carbon capture," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 711-723.
    4. Akbulut, Abdullah, 2012. "Techno-economic analysis of electricity and heat generation from farm-scale biogas plant: Çiçekdağı case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 381-390.
    5. Tsipis, E.V. & Agarkov, D.A. & Borisov, Yu.A. & Kiseleva, S.V. & Tarasenko, A.B. & Bredikhin, S.I. & Kharton, V.V., 2023. "Waste gas utilization potential for solid oxide fuel cells: A brief review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    6. Balcazar, Juan Galvarino Cerda & Dias, Rubens Alves & Balestieri, José Antonio Perrella, 2013. "Analysis of hybrid waste-to-energy for medium-sized cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 728-741.
    7. Papadias, Dionissios D. & Ahmed, Shabbir & Kumar, Romesh, 2012. "Fuel quality issues with biogas energy – An economic analysis for a stationary fuel cell system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 257-277.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tsipis, E.V. & Agarkov, D.A. & Borisov, Yu.A. & Kiseleva, S.V. & Tarasenko, A.B. & Bredikhin, S.I. & Kharton, V.V., 2023. "Waste gas utilization potential for solid oxide fuel cells: A brief review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    2. Papadias, Dionissios D. & Ahmed, Shabbir & Kumar, Romesh, 2012. "Fuel quality issues with biogas energy – An economic analysis for a stationary fuel cell system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 257-277.
    3. Liu, Wen & Hu, Weihao & Lund, Henrik & Chen, Zhe, 2013. "Electric vehicles and large-scale integration of wind power – The case of Inner Mongolia in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 445-456.
    4. Spiegel, R.J & Preston, J.L, 2003. "Technical assessment of fuel cell operation on landfill gas at the Groton, CT, landfill," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 397-409.
    5. Moslem Mousavi, Sayed & Bagheri Ghanbarabadi, Morteza & Bagheri Moghadam, Naser, 2012. "The competitiveness of wind power compared to existing methods of electricity generation in Iran," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 651-656.
    6. Astariz, S. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "The economics of wave energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 397-408.
    7. Wang, Zanxin & Wei, Wei, 2017. "External cost of photovoltaic oriented silicon production: A case in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 437-447.
    8. Kim, Seunghyok & Koo, Jamin & Lee, Chang Jun & Yoon, En Sup, 2012. "Optimization of Korean energy planning for sustainability considering uncertainties in learning rates and external factors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 126-134.
    9. Kazemi-Beydokhti, Amin & Zeinali Heris, Saeed, 2012. "Thermal optimization of combined heat and power (CHP) systems using nanofluids," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 241-247.
    10. Manfren, Massimiliano & Caputo, Paola & Costa, Gaia, 2011. "Paradigm shift in urban energy systems through distributed generation: Methods and models," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1032-1048, April.
    11. Fahlén, E. & Ahlgren, E.O., 2010. "Accounting for external costs in a study of a Swedish district-heating system - An assessment of environmental policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(9), pages 4909-4920, September.
    12. Petrescu, Stoian & Petre, Camelia & Costea, Monica & Malancioiu, Octavian & Boriaru, Nicolae & Dobrovicescu, Alexandru & Feidt, Michel & Harman, Charles, 2010. "A methodology of computation, design and optimization of solar Stirling power plant using hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 729-739.
    13. Cosentino, Valentina & Favuzza, Salvatore & Graditi, Giorgio & Ippolito, Mariano Giuseppe & Massaro, Fabio & Riva Sanseverino, Eleonora & Zizzo, Gaetano, 2012. "Smart renewable generation for an islanded system. Technical and economic issues of future scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 196-204.
    14. Izquierdo, M. & Marcos, J.D. & Palacios, M.E. & González-Gil, A., 2012. "Experimental evaluation of a low-power direct air-cooled double-effect LiBr–H2O absorption prototype," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 737-748.
    15. Dassisti, M. & Carnimeo, L., 2012. "Net modelling of energy mix among European Countries: A proposal for ruling new scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 100-111.
    16. Sevillano, M.G. & Garrido, I. & Garrido, A.J., 2011. "Control-oriented Automatic System for Transport Analysis (ASTRA)-Matlab integration for Tokamaks," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 2812-2819.
    17. Karasalihović Sedlar, Daria & Hrnčević, Lidia & Dekanić, Igor, 2011. "Recommendations for implementation of energy strategy of the Republic of Croatia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4191-4206.
    18. Franki, Vladimir & Višković, Alfredo, 2015. "Energy security, policy and technology in South East Europe: Presenting and applying an energy security index to Croatia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 494-507.
    19. Joseph Akpan & Oludolapo Olanrewaju, 2023. "Towards a Common Methodology and Modelling Tool for 100% Renewable Energy Analysis: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-42, September.
    20. Lior, Noam, 2012. "Sustainable energy development: The present (2011) situation and possible paths to the future," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 174-191.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:35:y:2010:i:12:p:5063-5069. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.