scholarly journals Mathematical model for evaluation of cost-effectiveness of waste treatment technique with energy recovery

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (suppl. 5) ◽  
pp. 1573-1584
Author(s):  
Biljana Milutinovic ◽  
Gordana Stefanovic ◽  
Ksenija Dencic-Mihajlov ◽  
Petar Djekic ◽  
Aleksandra Boricic

A cost-effectiveness of a specific waste treatment technique is very important factor when making the decision to invest in a waste treatment facility. Waste treatment can bring economic benefit through the value of product: recycled materials, the compost, the generated electricity, or heat. However, the expected economic benefits depend on many factors: the investment costs and operating costs of the waste treatment facility, revenues, the market price of the product obtained by waste treatment etc. The investment and operating costs and the revenue also depend on the amount of treated waste. This paper presents a mathematical model for evaluation of cost-effectiveness in the waste treatment technique with energy recovery depending on the amount of waste, i. e. evaluation the minimum amount of waste to be treated for a cost-effective waste treatment technique with energy recovery. To develop the mathematical model, a socio-economic analysis was used. The model is applied to calculate the lower limit of cost-effectiveness in the waste treatment techniques with energy recovery: incineration and anaerobic digestion, in the city of Nis, Serbia, as a case study. The obtained results show that the amount of waste currently generated in the city of Nis is not sufficient for the cost-effective incineration treatment, but with the currently available amount of waste, anaerobic digestion is the waste treatment that can be operated without losses in the city of Nis.

2021 ◽  
pp. 36-41
Author(s):  
Lata Ghanshamnani ◽  
Ambily Adithyan ◽  
Shyamala K. Mani ◽  
Manisha Pradhan

Due to enhanced healthcare needs brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of biomedical waste generated has also increased manifold across the globe. With the world in global crisis due to the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has put great pressure on the biomedical waste management system in India and around the world. To control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, proper disposal of the waste is essential to reduce any risk of secondary transmission. This paper investigates the situation of biomedical waste management in the city of Thane in Maharashtra due to the onset of COVID-19 and suggests some key recommendations to the policymakers to help handle biomedical waste from possible future pandemics. The study found that there was an 81% increase in the total biomedical waste (BMW) generation in 2020, when compared to 2019 and the yellow category waste from COVID-19 centres was the highest contributor to this waste. It was also found that though there was a slight increase in yellow category waste, the total biomedical waste from non- COVID healthcare facilities (HCFs) was comparable to that of the waste generated in HCFs during 2019, revealing that there was conscious reduction in the usage of single use PPEs at non- COVID HCFs. The city, despite owning a Central Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), was dependent on another incinerator at the Hazardous Waste Management Treatment facility (HWTF) for treatment of the additional waste generated. Unforeseen situation like these, expose the vulnerability of our existing biomedical waste management system and reinforces the need for investing and improving them for strengthening preparedness in the future. The situation also demands periodic education on importance of source segregation and waste reduction through rational use, disinfection and disposal of PPEs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peyman Sadrimajd ◽  
Patrick Mannion ◽  
Enda Howley ◽  
Piet N. L. Lens

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a waste treatment technology widely used for wastewater and solid waste treatment, with the advantage of being a source of renewable energy in the form of biogas. Anaerobic digestion model number 1 (ADM1) is the most common mathematical model available for AD modelling. Commercial software implementations of ADM1 are available but have limited flexibility and availability due to the closed sources and licensing fees. Python is the fastest growing programming language and is open source freely available. Python implementation of ADM1 makes this AD model available to the mass user base of the Python ecosystem and it [prime]s libraries. The open easy to use implementation in PyADM1 makes it more accessible and provides possibilities for flexible direct use of the model linked to other software, e.g. machine learning libraries or Linux operating system on embedded hardware.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1444-1453
Author(s):  
Mahmood Al Ramahi ◽  
Gábor Keszthelyi-Szabó ◽  
Sándor Beszédes

This work evaluates the effect of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) as a pretreatment and post-treatment technique to anaerobic digestion (AD) of dairy sludge. HTC's effect on AD was evaluated based on energy recovery, nutrient transformation, and hydrochar utilization. The first approach was executed by performing HTC under a range of temperatures before mesophilic AD. HTC optimal pretreatment temperature was 210 °C for 30 min residence time. HTC pretreatment significantly increased the methane yield potential by 192%, the chemical oxygen demand removal by 18%, and the sludge biodegradability during AD by 30%. On the other hand, the application of HTC after AD (post-treatment) increased the total energy production, i.e., in addition to methane, a hydrochar with a caloric value of 10.2 MJ/kg was also obtained. Moreover, HTC post-treatment improved the steam gasification performance of the AD digestate. From the fertilizer quality point of view, HTC implementation generally boosted the concentrations of macro, micro, and secondary nutrients, suggesting its suitability for use as a liquid fertilizer. Overall, the findings of the present study indicate that if bioenergy production were the main target, HTC post-treatment following AD would lead to the most promising outcomes.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Finger ◽  
Stepanovic ◽  
Llano

Anaerobic digestion of urban organic wastes, farming slurries or sewage sludge is a common practice in waste treatment plants. In the city of Reykjavik, the organic waste fraction constituted by 60% of biomass and 40% of food waste will be transformed by the local waste company SORPA providing biofuel for up to 10% of the cars. Such measures belong to the 2018-2030 Climate Action Plan from the Icelandic Government.


Author(s):  
Murthy V. A. Bondada ◽  
David R. Fialkoff

The Miami, Detroit, and Jacksonville downtown people movers (DPM) were implemented in the United States in 1986, 1987, and 1989, respectively. Because capital at that time was insufficient to build full systems, the most feasible initial segments were built. These segments were the first part of larger DPM networks planned for the downtown areas. In 1994, the Miami system was expanded, and the Jacksonville system is now being expanded. These extensions to the Miami and Jacksonville DPMs will complete the systems as originally planned. Compared with the initial segments, the full systems are expected to improve downtown circulation for both the users of the initial segments, and new riders of the expanded systems. The larger systems also are more cost-effective in construction and operation than the smaller systems (initial segments). The Miami DPM, known locally as the Metromover, is the first DPM in the United States. Its initial segment operated for 8 years (1986–1994), and the full system has operated since 1994. The operations of the initial and full systems are compared to assess the increased downtown circulation and cost-effectiveness with respect to capital and operating costs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7947
Author(s):  
Peter W. Harris ◽  
Bernadette K. McCabe

This work represents and reviews a compilation of investigations into improving anaerobic digestion performance of high-strength wastewater in the Australian Red Meat Processing industry. The industry produces significant quantities of organic-rich wastewater which requires treatment prior to release to the environment. Anaerobic lagoons are a cost-effective method of waste treatment where land availability is not an issue; however, the high fat load in the wastewater can negatively impact the anaerobic lagoon system and result in compromised anaerobic digestion performance. This paper will discuss the importance of upstream primary pre-treatment and review a series of investigations focused on optimising digester performance and improving fat biodegradability. These studies include: 1. the effect of temperature and mixing; 2. the influence of feedstock trace element composition and supplementation, and; 3. the potential benefit from pre-treatments such as chemical, thermobaric, thermochemical and bio-surfactant. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for covered anaerobic lagoon operation and provides recommendations to promote optimum digester performance and future opportunities in adopting alternate anaerobic digestion technology options. Finally, the paper provides recent trends toward the use of other waste streams for co-digestion and discusses this in terms of digester optimization and technology options.


Author(s):  
Maryam Khashij ◽  
Mohsen Pakdaman ◽  
Mohammad Mehralian ◽  
Mehran Abtahi ◽  
Mehdi Mokhtari

Introduction: Today, the infectious wastes of hospitals are considered as a public health problem. Considering the huge amounts of hazardous wastes and the disadvantages of incinerators, we need to investigate the non-combustible devices involved in biochemical treatment. This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the cost-effectiveness of infectious wastes devices. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and economic efficiency of the infectious waste devices in Yazd and Isfahan hospitals.  In this study, the total cost of infectious waste treatment systems in hospitals, the Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER), as well as the sensitivity rate for the reduction of infectious wastes were calculated using Treeage software version 2011. In order to calculate the cost effectiveness using the total cost and the amount of produced waste, we applied the discount rate of five percent and the useful life of 10 years for each device. Results: Based on the results, devices A and F had the highest and the lowest total cost, respectively. In addition, autoclave D with an ICER of 257.20 was more cost effective than other devices. So, device D, with a discount rate of ±5 and a range of 244.244 - 270.06 was chosen as the best option for infectious waste disposal. Conclusion: The results can be used to explore and outline the future prospects for choosing the best technology for treatment of infectious waste in hospitals. In other words, we have different options on different circumstances and occasions


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 572-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Garoma ◽  
C. Williams

The potential for using an enhanced anaerobic digestion (AD) process as a sanitation and energy recovery technology for communities that lack access to basic sanitation was evaluated. For the enhanced AD system to generate a reliable supply of biogas, so that it can be adopted and self-sustained by the community, the use of algal biomass as a supplementary feedstock was evaluated. In addition, the effects of operational parameters on waste mineralization and biogas production were investigated. The results show that the system has the potential to be developed into an effective waste treatment technology, and it has produced high biogas yields and digested waste low in fecal bacteria and high in nutrients. Reductions of 42 to 51% in volatile solids and 29 to 45% in chemical oxygen demand were achieved at 35 °C. On average, total coliform and fecal coliform concentrations of 7.6 × 105 and 1.4 × 104 CFU per gram of total solids, respectively, were measured in the digested waste. The total nitrogen and phosphorus content of the residual was determined to be in the range of 9–17% as N and 3–7% as P (7–16% as P2O5). The biogas yields varied in the range of 0.47–0.57 mL per mg of volatile solids digested.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Karen M. Atkinson ◽  
George Bray ◽  
Haiying Chen ◽  
Jeanne M. Clark ◽  
...  

<b>OBJECTIVE </b>To assess the cost-effectiveness (CE) of an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) compared to standard diabetes support and education (DSE) in adults with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes, as implemented in the Action for Health in Diabetes study. <p><b>RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS</b> Data were from 4,827 participants during the first 9 years of the study from 2001 to 2012. Information on Health Utility Index-2 and -3, SF-6D, and Feeling Thermometer [FT]), cost of delivering the interventions, and health expenditures were collected during the study. CE was measured by incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Future costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually. Costs were in 2012 US dollars. </p> <p><b>RESULTS </b><a>Over the </a>9 years studied, the mean cumulative intervention costs and mean cumulative health care expenditures were $11,275 and $64,453 per person for ILI and $887 and $68,174 for DSE. Thus, ILI cost $6,666 more per person than DSE. Additional QALYs gained by ILI were not statistically significant measured by the HUIs and were 0.17 and 0.16, respectively, measured by SF-6D and FT. The ICERs ranged from no health benefit with a higher cost based on HUIs, to $96,458/QALY and $43,169/QALY, respectively, based on SF-6D and FT. </p> <p><b>Conclusions </b>Whether<b> </b>ILI was cost-effective over the 9-year period is unclear because different health utility measures led to different conclusions. </p>


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