A Life-Cycle Inventory Model of Municipal Solid Waste Combustion

Harrison, Kenneth W.; Dumas, Robert D.; Barlaz, Morton A.; Nishtala, Subba R.

doi:10.1080/10473289.2000.10464135

Cited by 53 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The total LCI emissions are the summation of the emissions associated with (1) the combustion of waste (i.e., the stack gas (accounting for controls)), (2) the production and use of limestone in the control technologies (i.e., scrubbers), and (3) the disposal of ash in a landfill (17).…”

Section: Modeling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is It Better To Burn or Bury Waste for Clean Electricity Generation?

Kaplan

DeCarolis

Thorneloe

2009

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The use of municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate electricity through landfill-gas-to-energy (LFGTE) and waste-to-energy (WTE) projects represents roughly 14% of U.S. nonhydro renewable electricity generation. Although various aspects of LFGTE and WTE have been analyzed in the literature, this paper is the first to present a comprehensive set of life-cycle emission factors per unit of electricity generated for these energy recovery options. In addition, sensitivity analysis is conducted on key inputs (e.g., efficiency of the WTE plant, landfill gas management schedules, oxidation rate, and waste composition) to quantify the variability in the resultant life-cycle emissions estimates. While methane from landfills results from the anaerobic breakdown of biogenic materials, the energy derived from WTE results from the combustion of both biogenic and fossil materials. The greenhouse gas emissions for WTE ranges from 0.4 to 1.5 MTCO 2 e/MWh, whereas the most agressive LFGTE scenerio results in 2.3 MTCO 2 e/MWh. WTE also produces lower NO x emissions than LFGTE, whereas SO x emissions depend on the specific configurations of WTE and LFGTE.

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Section: Modeling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emission factors are generated using the life-cyclebased process models for WTE (17) and LF/LFGTE (18) embedded in the municipal solid waste decision support tool (MSW-DST). The MSW-DST was developed through a competed cooperative agreement between EPA's Office of Research and Development and RTI International (19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Section: Modeling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is It Better To Burn or Bury Waste for Clean Electricity Generation?

Kaplan

DeCarolis

Thorneloe

2009

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Incineration facilities can be damaged by temperature fluctuations when food waste with high water content is burned in a semicontinuous process. In addition, it is difficult to recover energy from such waste incineration processes because the heating value of food waste is low (Harrison et al 2000). Also, landfill space is limited, and uncontrolled fermentation of organic wastes in landfills causes secondary problems, such as methane emissions (Camobreco et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Plastics from Garbage

Sakai

Taniguchi

Miura³

et al. 2003

J of Industrial Ecology

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Keywords SummaryWe propose a novel recycling system for municipal food waste that combines fermentation and chemical processes to produce high-quality poly-L-lactate (PLLA) biodegradable plastics. The process consists of removal of endogenous D,L-lactic acid from minced food waste by a propionibacterium, L-lactic acid fermentation under semisolid conditions, L-lactic acid purification via butyl esterification, and L-lactic acid polymerization via LL-lactide. The total design of the process enables a high yield of PLLA with high optical activity (i.e., a high proportion of optical isomers) and novel recycling of all materials produced at each step, with energy savings and minimal emissions. Approximately 50% of the total carbon was removed, mostly as L-lactic acid, and 100 kg of collected food waste yielded 7.0 kg PLLA (about 34% of the total carbon). The physical properties of the PLLA yielded in this manner were comparable to those of PLLA generated from commercially available L-lactic acid. Evaluation of the process is also discussed from the viewpoints of material and energy balances and environmental impact.

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“…This tool has been in use for more than a decade, and incorporates comprehensive energy, environmental impact, and cost models for MSW management alternatives, including landfill disposal, composting, recycling, and combustion with energy recovery (EPA 2000; Harrison et al 2000;Kaplan et al 2009). EPA and RTI have recently been developing a new version of the tool for public distribution (eliminating a previous requirement for use of commercially licensed software).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste Not, Want Not: Analyzing the Economic and Environmental Viability of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Technology for Site-Specific Optimization of Renewable Energy Options

Funk¹,

Milford²,

Simpkins³

2013

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NOTICEThis report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Executive SummaryWaste-to-energy (WTE) technology burns municipal solid waste (MSW) in an environmentally safe combustion system to generate electricity, provide district heat, and reduce the need for landfill disposal. While this technology has gained acceptance in Europe, it has yet to be commonly recognized as an option in the United States.Section 1 of this report provides an overview of WTE as a renewable energy (RE) technology and describes a high-level model developed to assess the feasibility of WTE at a site. The model uses simple user inputs, geographic information system (GIS)-based waste resource data, available incentives, and financial parameters to estimate implementation cost, operations costs, and life-cycle cost, along with the recommended quantities of WTE to consider. The development of this model and integration in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Renewable Energy Optimization (REO) tool allows WTE to be considered alongside other RE options and helps to introduce the technology to a broad audience.Section 2 of this report reviews results from previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of WTE that have been published in the literature, and then uses an existing LCA inventory tool to perform a screening-level analysis of cost, net energy production, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and conventional air pollution impacts of WTE for residual MSW in Boulder, Colorado. We find that MSW combustion is a better alternative than landfill disposal in terms of net energy impacts and carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-equivalent GHG emissions. In this report, WTE leads to greater GHG reductions per kWh of electricity generated compared to landfill gas-toenergy. The screening indicates WTE would be a relatively expensive way to treat Boulder's residual MSW, at an estimated cost of about $58 per ton (higher than typical landfill costs for this region).Section 3 of this report describes the federal regulations that govern the permitting, monitoring, and operating practices of MSW combustors and provides emissions limits for WTE projects.vii

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A Life-Cycle Inventory Model of Municipal Solid Waste Combustion

Cited by 53 publications

References 4 publications

Is It Better To Burn or Bury Waste for Clean Electricity Generation?

Is It Better To Burn or Bury Waste for Clean Electricity Generation?

Making Plastics from Garbage

Waste Not, Want Not: Analyzing the Economic and Environmental Viability of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Technology for Site-Specific Optimization of Renewable Energy Options

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