Life cycle assessment of waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies for electricity generation using municipal solid waste in Nigeria

This research assesses the social impacts that could arise from the potential waste-to-energy (WtE) generation of electricity from municipal solid waste (MSW) in the cities of Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria. Social life cycle assessment (sLCA) was the main analytical approach used coupled with a participatory approach to identify relevant social issues to serve as the potential sLCA impact ‘subcategories’. Focus group research in both cities led to the identification of 11 social issues that were transformed into social impact subcategories with appropriate indicators for the sLCA. These were populated with data from a questionnaire-based survey with approximately 140 stakeholders. The results indicated that the impact subcategories “Improved Electricity Supply” and “Income” were ranked respectively as having the most and the least significant social impacts associated with the potential adoption of WtE in these two cities in Nigeria. Overall, the research showed that the expected social impact was higher for WtE electricity generation in Lagos than in Abuja. This difference may be related to the higher population and greater amounts of waste in Lagos and its position as a hub for many of the country’s commercial and industrial activities which have long been affected by inadequate electricity supply. This study also provides an example of the use of participatory processes as an important approach in sLCA for the elucidation of social issues that are directly pertinent to key local perspectives when considering such technology implementations.

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Sustainability Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste in Baltimore USA

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041915 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1915

Author(s):

Samuel O. Alamu ◽

Ayodeji Wemida ◽

Tiyobistiya Tsegaye ◽

Gbekeloluwa Oguntimein

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Well Being ◽

Waste To Energy ◽

Municipal Solid Waste Management ◽

Incineration Plant

Sustainability assessment of municipal solid waste management requires a holistic approach in evaluating the impacts of current technology and processes. In this study, the sustainability analysis of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) incineration plant in Baltimore city was performed to determine its environmental, economic, and social impacts. The city’s major waste-to-energy generation plant has benefitted the city of Baltimore since inception till date in terms of waste processing, resulting in electricity and steam production for more than 40,000 homes and over 200 businesses. The life cycle impact of the incineration plant was analyzed using the Simapro life cycle assessment (LCA) software with the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) database for correlation. The results obtained upon analysis show larger values of Global Warming Potential and eutrophication potential as 6.46 × 108 Gg of CO2 equivalence and 2.27 × 106 Gg N equivalence, respectively. These values resulted from the higher amount of fossil CO2 and NOx emitted from the plant. The acidification potential of 1.66 × 1017 H+ mmole eq resulted from the SO2 emitted by the incineration plant. The incineration plant exceeded the limitations set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on NOx (150 ppm), which is detrimental to the well-being of people as shown by this study. Installing an improved processing technology such as a Selected Catalytic Reactor (SCR) can drastically reduce the NOx emission to 45 ppm. Life Cycle Assessment was confirmed suitable in evaluating the environmental impacts of the MSW-to-energy treatment approach.

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Assessment of Environmental Burdens of the Current Disposal Method of Municipal Solid Waste in Kuwait vs. Waste-to-Energy Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

International Journal of Environmental Science and Development ◽

10.7763/ijesd.2016.v7.806 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 389-394 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ayed A. Al-Fadhli ◽

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Waste To Energy ◽

Environmental Burdens

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Comparative evaluation of environmental efficiency of the municipal solid waste treatment scenarios for St. Petersburg region with the life cycle assessment method

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/938/1/012018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 938 (1) ◽

pp. 012018

Author(s):

N V Mikhailova ◽

A V Yasinskaya

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Environmental Efficiency ◽

Cement Industry ◽

Waste To Energy

Abstract The research focuses on complex comparative evaluation of environmental efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment scenarios that can be implemented in St. Petersburg and Leningradskaya oblast’. Three scenarios were modelled that technically and economically meet the regional needs. The scenarios imply the following systems: 1) sorting, Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT), landfilling; 2) sorting, MBT, Waste-to-Energy (WTE), landfilling; 3) sorting, MBT, Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for cement industry, landfilling. In comparison, the “zero” scenario implying landfilling untreated waste was modelled. A Life Cycle Assessment based approach was proposed, which allows comparing scenarios through converting heterogeneous impact categories to a single monetary index. The highest damage reduction (by 60-70% in comparison with the “zero” scenario) was shown in the complex scenarios, including both MBT and energy recovery. 40, 42 and 47% of the total damage in scenarios 1, 2, 3 accordingly is associated with MBT product landfilling. The results show that the main benefit of complex treatment cannot be fully realized without separate collection of food waste. In this situation the most environmentally soundable scenario comprises recyclables separation and subsequent WTE treatment of all the rest with the exception of some non-combustibles.

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