A critical review: emerging bioeconomy and waste-to-energy technologies for sustainable municipal solid waste management

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management has emerged as probably the most pressing issue many governments nowadays are facing. Traditionally, Waste-to-Energy(WtE) is mostly associated with incineration, but now, with the emergence of the bioeconomy, it embraces a broader definition comprising any processing technique that can generate electricity/heat or produce a waste-derived fuel. Under the ambit of the circular economy many nations are looking for, additional effort must be made to be sure of acquiring the most updated information and paving a sustainable path for managing MSW in such a frame. In this regard, we have undertaken a critical review of various technologies, with their updated progress, involved in the exploitation of MSW as a renewable resource, along with the critical advantages and limitations on energy and material cycling for sustainable MSW management. Incineration, the most widely used method, is nowadays difficult to further apply due to its dubious reputation and social opposition. Meanwhile, to address the organic fraction of MSW which currently is mostly unrecycled and causes disposal issues, the biological approach presents an attractive option. The new emphasis of bioeconomy leads us to understand how environmental biotechnologies should be better connected/integrated for more sustainable MSW management. This article is concluded with advances of future prospects, which can serve as a timely reminder to encourage competent authorities/researchers to work towards further improvement of the present MSW management system.

Ionizing radiation as adjuvant for the abiotic degradation of plastic bags containing pro‐oxidant additives

“…In this regard, several alternatives have risen in the last years as incineration, recycling and, self‐degrading plastics, being the recycling the most favorable option 19,20 . However, this process requires energy, economical resources, and time to clean, classify, wash, dry, and finally grind the plastic waste to reprocess it.…”

“…Therefore, it is not economically favorable for the industry 19 . On the other hand, the incineration process produces the social opposition due to the greenhouse gases generation and release of toxic substances during combustion 20 . In this context, the search for sustainable plastics is inevitable and, in that effort, the plastic industry developed biodegradable plastics to reduce the time elapsed to degrade the plastic bags.…”

Development of a Superstructure Optimization Framework for the Design of Municipal Solid Waste Facilities

“…Various technologies and initiatives have been developed as alternatives for waste disposal by considering MSW a valuable resource [7][8]. These technologies can generate electricity, useful heat, syngas, biodiesel, compost, fertilizer, and other by-products [9] so the concept of integrated waste management can be an effective and sustainable waste management method [10].…”

Development of a superstructure optimization framework for the design of municipal solid waste facilities

“…Various technologies and initiatives have been developed as alternatives for waste disposal by considering MSW a valuable resource [7,8]. These technologies can generate electricity, useful heat, syngas, biodiesel, compost, fertilizer, and other by-products [9] so the concept of integrated waste management can be an effective and sustainable waste management method [10]. The design of integrated waste processing technologies has been performed using many concepts and tools including zero waste [11], urban metabolism [12], substance flow analysis [13] and life cycle assessments [14,15].…”