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Technical and Environmental Comparison among Different Municipal Solid Waste Management Scenarios

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  • Deborah Panepinto

    (Department of Engineering for Environment, Land and Infrastructures (DIATI), Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

  • Mariachiara Zanetti

    (Department of Engineering for Environment, Land and Infrastructures (DIATI), Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

In order to determine the optimal final destination of municipal solid waste, it is necessary to consider both monetary costs and environmental externalities, as well as the local availability of waste-processing industrial infrastructure. The paper examines the results obtained from a technical, economic, and environmental comparison between different scenarios for waste management: in particular, the solutions of gasification and pyrolysis were studied and, afterwards, were compared with direct combustion in incineration plant (from the point of view of the thermal treatment) and final disposal in landfill. In order to perform this analysis, 19 plants operating on full scale were analyzed. The comparison took into account environmental, energy, and economic aspects. From the environmental and energetical point of view, the tool of mass and energy balance was used to address some key environmental aspects. In particular, some indexes were defined in order to perform a comparison among the different analyzed solutions. As concerns the economic point of view, conventional economic criteria were considered. The analysis showed advantages for the examined thermal treatment solutions. The comparison methodology that has been defined can establish a more general useful approach in order to help the definition of the best solution for waste management planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Deborah Panepinto & Mariachiara Zanetti, 2021. "Technical and Environmental Comparison among Different Municipal Solid Waste Management Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3167-:d:516487
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cherubini, Francesco & Bargigli, Silvia & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2009. "Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste management strategies: Landfilling, sorting plant and incineration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2116-2123.
    2. Miranda, Marie Lynn & Hale, Brack, 1997. "Waste not, want not: the private and social costs of waste-to-energy production," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 587-600, May.
    3. Puig-Arnavat, Maria & Bruno, Joan Carles & Coronas, Alberto, 2010. "Review and analysis of biomass gasification models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2841-2851, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Deborah Panepinto & Marco Ravina & Mariachiara Zanetti, 2022. "An Overview of Thermal Treatment Emissions with a Particular Focus on CO 2 Parameter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Hridoy Roy & Samiha Raisa Alam & Rayhan Bin-Masud & Tonima Rahman Prantika & Md. Nahid Pervez & Md. Shahinoor Islam & Vincenzo Naddeo, 2022. "A Review on Characteristics, Techniques, and Waste-to-Energy Aspects of Municipal Solid Waste Management: Bangladesh Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-25, August.
    3. Isabella Bianco & Deborah Panepinto & Mariachiara Zanetti, 2021. "Environmental Impacts of Electricity from Incineration and Gasification: How the LCA Approach Can Affect the Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Chin, Hon Huin & Varbanov, Petar Sabev & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Kravanja, Zdravko, 2023. "Novel circularity and sustainability assessment of symbiosis networks through the Energy Quality Pinch concept," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).

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