IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v381y2025ics0306261924025327.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Economic and environmental assessment of plant-level decarbonization in waste-to-energy industry with CCUS technology: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Xu, Mao
  • Zhang, Jiayue
  • Wen, Zongguo
  • Wang, Pengtao
  • Chen, Jiehao

Abstract

Waste-to-energy (WtE) technology is a key method for municipal waste treatment, particularly in China, the largest country by waste incineration volume globally. However, the increasing proportion of high‑carbon waste components has led to a rise in the carbon intensity of WtE generation. This trend presents significant challenges for the low-carbon development of WtE plants. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) offers a potential technical solution for deep decarbonization of WtE facilities. Nonetheless, the associated economic costs and environmental impacts, such as water consumption, remain uncertain. In response to these challenges, a plant-level carbon source inventory for the WtE industry in China was established to evaluate the temporal and spatial emission characteristics, and the CO2 emission reduction potential, CO2 abatement cost, and water demand were analyzed by developing a CCUS source-sink matching optimization model and a techno-economic evaluation model. The findings indicated that the total CO2 emissions from China's WtE plants amount to approximately 318.50 Mt. annually, with emissions predominantly concentrated in the eastern and coastal provinces in China. A total of 996 WtE plants could be matched with suitable CO2 storage sites within 800 km, potentially achieving a theoretical total emission reduction of up to 6.86 billion tons of CO2. Among these, 147 WtE plants can reduce over 2.4 billion tons of CO2 with an average cost of 91.1 CNY/t. However, the carbon-water trade-off issue may become significant for the WtE industry during the decarbonization process using CCUS technology. This study evaluated the economic and environmental impacts of deploying CCUS technology in the WtE industry in China, offering valuable insights for government and relevant enterprises. Additionally, it may serve as a reference for other countries considering the application of CCUS technology in WtE industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu, Mao & Zhang, Jiayue & Wen, Zongguo & Wang, Pengtao & Chen, Jiehao, 2025. "Economic and environmental assessment of plant-level decarbonization in waste-to-energy industry with CCUS technology: Evidence from China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 381(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:381:y:2025:i:c:s0306261924025327
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125148
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924025327
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125148?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. Yang, Lin & Lv, Haodong & Jiang, Dalin & Fan, Jingli & Zhang, Xian & He, Weijun & Zhou, Jinsheng & Wu, Wenjing, 2020. "Whether CCS technologies will exacerbate the water crisis in China? —A full life-cycle analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    2. Fan, Jing-Li & Xu, Mao & Li, Fengyu & Yang, Lin & Zhang, Xian, 2018. "Carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit potential of coal-fired power plants in China: The technology lock-in and cost optimization perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 326-334.
    3. Rosa, Lorenzo & Sanchez, Daniel L. & Realmonte, Giulia & Baldocchi, Dennis & D'Odorico, Paolo, 2021. "The water footprint of carbon capture and storage technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Cameron Hepburn & Ella Adlen & John Beddington & Emily A. Carter & Sabine Fuss & Niall Mac Dowell & Jan C. Minx & Pete Smith & Charlotte K. Williams, 2019. "The technological and economic prospects for CO2 utilization and removal," Nature, Nature, vol. 575(7781), pages 87-97, November.
    5. Yang, Lin & Xu, Mao & Yang, Yuantao & Fan, Jingli & Zhang, Xian, 2019. "Comparison of subsidy schemes for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) investment based on real option approach: Evidence from China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    6. Kezia Megagita Gerby Langie & Kyungjae Tak & Changsoo Kim & Hee Won Lee & Kwangho Park & Dongjin Kim & Wonsang Jung & Chan Woo Lee & Hyung-Suk Oh & Dong Ki Lee & Jai Hyun Koh & Byoung Koun Min & Da Hy, 2022. "Toward economical application of carbon capture and utilization technology with near-zero carbon emission," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Jiang, Kai & Ashworth, Peta, 2021. "The development of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) research in China: A bibliometric perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    8. Wang, Yuan & Yan, Yuanyuan & Chen, Guanyi & Zuo, Jian & Du, Huibin, 2015. "Effective approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste to energy process: A China study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 103-108.
    9. Wang, Yihan & Wen, Zongguo & Xu, Mao & Kosajan, Vorada, 2024. "The carbon-energy-water nexus of the carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology deployment schemes: A case study in China's cement industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    10. Ren, Lei & Zhou, Sheng & Peng, Tianduo & Ou, Xunmin, 2021. "A review of CO2 emissions reduction technologies and low-carbon development in the iron and steel industry focusing on China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Singh, Udayan & Colosi, Lisa M., 2021. "The case for estimating carbon return on investment (CROI) for CCUS platforms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Wang, Yihan & Wen, Zongguo & Xu, Mao & Kosajan, Vorada, 2024. "The carbon-energy-water nexus of the carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology deployment schemes: A case study in China's cement industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    2. Chen, Siyuan & Liu, Jiangfeng & Zhang, Qi & Teng, Fei & McLellan, Benjamin C., 2022. "A critical review on deployment planning and risk analysis of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) toward carbon neutrality," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    3. Yang, Lin & Lv, Haodong & Wei, Ning & Li, Yiming & Zhang, Xian, 2023. "Dynamic optimization of carbon capture technology deployment targeting carbon neutrality, cost efficiency and water stress: Evidence from China's electric power sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    4. Yihan Wang & Zongguo Wen & Mao Xu & Christian Doh Dinga, 2025. "Long-term transformation in China’s steel sector for carbon capture and storage technology deployment," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    5. Wang, Peng-Tao & Wei, Yi-Ming & Yang, Bo & Li, Jia-Quan & Kang, Jia-Ning & Liu, Lan-Cui & Yu, Bi-Ying & Hou, Yun-Bing & Zhang, Xian, 2020. "Carbon capture and storage in China’s power sector: Optimal planning under the 2 °C constraint," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    6. Galán-Martín, Ángel & Contreras, María del Mar & Romero, Inmaculada & Ruiz, Encarnación & Bueno-Rodríguez, Salvador & Eliche-Quesada, Dolores & Castro-Galiano, Eulogio, 2022. "The potential role of olive groves to deliver carbon dioxide removal in a carbon-neutral Europe: Opportunities and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    7. Yang, Lin & Xu, Mao & Fan, Jingli & Liang, Xi & Zhang, Xian & Lv, Haodong & Wang, Dong, 2021. "Financing coal-fired power plant to demonstrate CCS (carbon capture and storage) through an innovative policy incentive in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    8. Rosa, Lorenzo & Mazzotti, Marco, 2022. "Potential for hydrogen production from sustainable biomass with carbon capture and storage," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    9. Hu, Yingying & Wu, Wei, 2023. "Can fossil energy make a soft landing？— the carbon-neutral pathway in China accompanying CCS," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    10. Xianlei Chen & Manqi Wang & Bin Wang & Huadong Hao & Haolei Shi & Zenan Wu & Junxue Chen & Limei Gai & Hengcong Tao & Baikang Zhu & Bohong Wang, 2023. "Energy Consumption Reduction and Sustainable Development for Oil & Gas Transport and Storage Engineering," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-16, February.
    11. Pavel Tcvetkov, 2021. "Climate Policy Imbalance in the Energy Sector: Time to Focus on the Value of CO 2 Utilization," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    12. Hanne Lamberts-Van Assche & Tine Compernolle, 2022. "Using Real Options Thinking to Value Investment Flexibility in Carbon Capture and Utilization Projects: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    13. Tan, Zhizhou & Huang, Hui & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Impact assessment of the residual lifespan of coal-fired power plants on the investment risk of carbon capture and storage retrofit," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    14. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Belaïd, Fateh & Ma, Hongyan, 2024. "Carbon capture and renewable energy policies: Could policy harmonization be a puzzle piece to solve the electricity crisis?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Chen, Lei & Hu, Yanwei & Yang, Kai & Yan, Xinqing & Yu, Shuai & Yu, Jianliang & Chen, Shaoyun, 2023. "Fracture process characteristic study during fracture propagation of a CO2 transport network distribution pipeline," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    16. Migo-Sumagang, Maria Victoria & Tan, Raymond R. & Aviso, Kathleen B., 2023. "A multi-period model for optimizing negative emission technology portfolios with economic and carbon value discount rates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    17. Yang, Honghua & Ma, Linwei & Li, Zheng, 2023. "Tracing China's steel use from steel flows in the production system to steel footprints in the consumption system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    18. Chen, Yuhong & Lyu, Yanfeng & Yang, Xiangdong & Zhang, Xiaohong & Pan, Hengyu & Wu, Jun & Lei, Yongjia & Zhang, Yanzong & Wang, Guiyin & Xu, Min & Luo, Hongbin, 2022. "Performance comparison of urea production using one set of integrated indicators considering energy use, economic cost and emissions’ impacts: A case from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    19. Michael Carus & Lara Dammer & Achim Raschka & Pia Skoczinski, 2020. "Renewable carbon: Key to a sustainable and future‐oriented chemical and plastic industry: Definition, strategy, measures and potential," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 10(3), pages 488-505, June.
    20. Ye, Bin & Yang, Peng & Jiang, Jingjing & Miao, Lixin & Shen, Bo & Li, Ji, 2017. "Feasibility and economic analysis of a renewable energy powered special town in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 40-50.

    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:appene:v:381:y:2025:i:c:s0306261924025327. 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.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    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.