IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v15y2022i18p6581-d910136.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Comprehensive Assessment of Products Management and Energy Recovery from Waste Products in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • A. C. (Thanos) Bourtsalas

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)

  • Tianxiao Shen

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)

  • Yixi Tian

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA)

Abstract

This study uses the U.S. EPA data and classification of products, which includes three main categories: durables with a lifetime over 3 years, non-durables with a lifetime below 3 years, and containers and packages, which are consumed within one year. It builds connections between the management of waste products and the energy sector, by evaluating the potential contribution of such products to the U.S. energy grid, and assessing the opportunity to substitute fossil fuels, both for electricity and residential heat production. Finally, this study conducts a vis-à-vis comparison between the U.S. and the EU progress on waste management, and the associated GHG emissions. Sankey diagrams were produced to represent the flows of products management from 1990 to 2018, and the results were assessed by considering the amounts produced, the composition, and the disposition methods used, the energy potential of waste products landfilled, and the associated greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The results indicate that the recycling of containers and packages have increased significantly during the 28-year period and became the dominant method of managing such products in the U.S. in 2015. Durable and non-durable products are mainly landfilled, and the situation has remained unchanged in the 2010s. Assuming that 30% of waste products landfilled in the U.S. were combusted for energy instead, it would have resulted in the substitution of <5% of fossil fuels used for electricity, but up to a 68% substitution of fossil fuels, such as propane, used for residential space and water heating. In the U.S., over 85% of GHG emissions are associated with the landfilling of waste materials, and although improvements in capturing and beneficially utilizing methane are implemented, the total GHG emissions have remained almost the same since 2015, with a tendency to increase. The European experience has shown that recycling and waste-to-energy are complementary in diverting materials from landfills, in enhancing energy security, and in significantly reducing GHG emissions from waste management. Future directions are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • A. C. (Thanos) Bourtsalas & Tianxiao Shen & Yixi Tian, 2022. "A Comprehensive Assessment of Products Management and Energy Recovery from Waste Products in the United States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:18:p:6581-:d:910136
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6581/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6581/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malinauskaite, J. & Jouhara, H. & Czajczyńska, D. & Stanchev, P. & Katsou, E. & Rostkowski, P. & Thorne, R.J. & Colón, J. & Ponsá, S. & Al-Mansour, F. & Anguilano, L. & Krzyżyńska, R. & López, I.C. & , 2017. "Municipal solid waste management and waste-to-energy in the context of a circular economy and energy recycling in Europe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 2013-2044.
    2. Jon T. Powell & Timothy G. Townsend & Julie B. Zimmerman, 2016. "Estimates of solid waste disposal rates and reduction targets for landfill gas emissions," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 162-165, February.
    3. Mühle, S. & Balsam, I. & Cheeseman, C.R., 2010. "Comparison of carbon emissions associated with municipal solid waste management in Germany and the UK," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(11), pages 793-801.
    4. Benjamin K. Sovacool, 2009. "Exploring and Contextualizing Public Opposition to Renewable Electricity in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-20, September.
    5. Astrid Allesch & Paul H. Brunner, 2015. "Material Flow Analysis as a Decision Support Tool for Waste Management: A Literature Review," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 19(5), pages 753-764, October.
    6. World Bank Group, 2019. "New Perspectives on Results-Based Blended Finance for Cities," World Bank Publications - Reports 32192, The World Bank Group.
    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. Izabella Maj & Krzysztof Matus, 2023. "Aluminosilicate Clay Minerals: Kaolin, Bentonite, and Halloysite as Fuel Additives for Thermal Conversion of Biomass and Waste," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-17, May.

    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. Zhai, Jihua & Burke, Ian T. & Stewart, Douglas I., 2021. "Beneficial management of biomass combustion ashes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    2. Corina Pelau & Alexandra Catalina Chinie, 2018. "Econometric Model for Measuring the Impact of the Education Level of the Population on the Recycling Rate in a Circular Economy," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 20(48), pages 340-340.
    3. Halkos, George & Managi, Shunsuke, 2023. "New developments in the disciplines of environmental and resource economics," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 513-522.
    4. Sward, Jeffrey A. & Nilson, Roberta S. & Katkar, Venktesh V. & Stedman, Richard C. & Kay, David L. & Ifft, Jennifer E. & Zhang, K. Max, 2021. "Integrating social considerations in multicriteria decision analysis for utility-scale solar photovoltaic siting," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    5. Konrad Siegfried & Susann Günther & Sara Mengato & Fabian Riedel & Daniela Thrän, 2023. "Boosting Biowaste Valorisation—Do We Need an Accelerated Regional Implementation of the European Law for End-of-Waste?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-13, September.
    6. Emmanuel D. Adamides & Konstantinos Georgousoglou & Yannis Mouzakitis, 2023. "Designing a Flexible and Adaptive Municipal Waste Management Organisation Using the Viable System Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-24, September.
    7. Soltanian, Salman & Kalogirou, Soteris A. & Ranjbari, Meisam & Amiri, Hamid & Mahian, Omid & Khoshnevisan, Benyamin & Jafary, Tahereh & Nizami, Abdul-Sattar & Gupta, Vijai Kumar & Aghaei, Siavash & Pe, 2022. "Exergetic sustainability analysis of municipal solid waste treatment systems: A systematic critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. Davor Mance & Siniša Vilke & Borna Debelić, 2020. "Sustainable Governance of Coastal Areas and Tourism Impact on Waste Production: Panel Analysis of Croatian Municipalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-16, September.
    9. Pere Ariza-Montobbio & Susana Herrero Olarte, 2021. "Socio-metabolic profiles of electricity consumption along the rural–urban continuum of Ecuador: Whose energy sovereignty?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7961-7995, May.
    10. Marco Abis & Martina Bruno & Kerstin Kuchta & Franz-Georg Simon & Raul Grönholm & Michel Hoppe & Silvia Fiore, 2020. "Assessment of the Synergy between Recycling and Thermal Treatments in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Europe," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Jacqueline Hettel Tidwell & Abraham Tidwell & Steffan Nelson, 2018. "Surveying the Solar Power Gap: Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Emerging Photovoltaic Solar Adoption in the State of Georgia, U.S.A," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    12. Xuemeng Zhang & Chao Liu & Yuexi Chen & Guanghong Zheng & Yinguang Chen, 2022. "Source separation, transportation, pretreatment, and valorization of municipal solid waste: a critical review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11471-11513, October.
    13. Konsta Värri & Sanna Syri, 2019. "The Possible Role of Modular Nuclear Reactors in District Heating: Case Helsinki Region," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, June.
    14. Tygran Dzhuguryan & Agnieszka Deja, 2021. "Sustainable Waste Management for a City Multifloor Manufacturing Cluster: A Framework for Designing a Smart Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-25, February.
    15. Hrabec, Dušan & Šomplák, Radovan & Nevrlý, Vlastimír & Viktorin, Adam & Pluháček, Michal & Popela, Pavel, 2020. "Sustainable waste-to-energy facility location: Influence of demand on energy sales," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    16. Carmen Avilés-Palacios & Ana Rodríguez-Olalla, 2021. "The Sustainability of Waste Management Models in Circular Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-19, June.
    17. Andrzej Jędrczak & Sylwia Myszograj & Jacek Połomka, 2020. "The Composition and Properties of Polish Waste Focused on Biostabilisation in MBT Plants during the Heating Season," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-10, March.
    18. Chelsea Schelly & Don Lee & Elise Matz & Joshua M. Pearce, 2021. "Applying a Relationally and Socially Embedded Decision Framework to Solar Photovoltaic Adoption: A Conceptual Exploration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-18, January.
    19. Teng, Sin Yong & Máša, Vítězslav & Touš, Michal & Vondra, Marek & Lam, Hon Loong & Stehlík, Petr, 2022. "Waste-to-energy forecasting and real-time optimization: An anomaly-aware approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 142-155.
    20. Gheorghița Dincă & Ana-Angela Milan & Maria Letiția Andronic & Anna-Maria Pasztori & Dragoș Dincă, 2022. "Does Circular Economy Contribute to Smart Cities’ Sustainable Development?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-27, June.

    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:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:18:p:6581-:d:910136. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.