Energy recovery from waste in India: An evidence-based analysis

Nixon, Jonathan; Dey, Prasanta Kumar; Ghosh, Sadhan Kumar

doi:10.1016/j.seta.2017.04.003

Cited by 34 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Therefore, many health outcomes related to such new generation plants appear to be lower than in the past. However, the results from such old generation plants can continue to be suitable in areas where less restrictive limits continue to be applied, such as in some developing countries [ 75 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Municipal Solid Waste Management and Adverse Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Vinti

Bauza

Clasen

et al. 2021

IJERPH

105

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Municipal solid waste (MSW) can pose a threat to public health if it is not safely managed. Despite prior research, uncertainties remain and refurbished evidence is needed along with new approaches. We conducted a systematic review of recently published literature to update and expand the epidemiological evidence on the association between MSW management practices and resident populations’ health risks. Studies published from January 2005 to January 2020 were searched and reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. Eligible MSW treatment or disposal sites were defined as landfills, dumpsites, incinerators, waste open burning, transfer stations, recycling sites, composting plants, and anaerobic digesters. Occupational risks were not assessed. Health effects investigated included mortality, adverse birth and neonatal outcomes, cancer, respiratory conditions, gastroenteritis, vector-borne diseases, mental health conditions, and cardiovascular diseases. Studies reporting on human biomonitoring for exposure were eligible as well. Twenty-nine studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria of our protocol, assessing health effects only associated with proximity to landfills, incinerators, and dumpsites/open burning sites. There was some evidence of an increased risk of adverse birth and neonatal outcomes for residents near each type of MSW site. There was also some evidence of an increased risk of mortality, respiratory diseases, and negative mental health effects associated with residing near landfills. Additionally, there was some evidence of increased risk of mortality associated with residing near incinerators. However, in many cases, the evidence was inadequate to establish a strong relationship between a specific exposure and outcomes, and the studies rarely assessed new generation technologies. Evidence gaps remain, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Municipal Solid Waste Management and Adverse Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Vinti

Bauza

Clasen

et al. 2021

IJERPH

105

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“…In order to reduce the pollution and to reduce the overall waste generation in India, it is proposed to develop a CE model. The main reason for opting a CE practice is that it focusses on waste minimization, energy efficiency, environmental conservation and economic development (Nixon et al, 2017).…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

A circular economy model for waste management in India

Kamble¹,

Raju²,

Vishnu³

et al. 2021

Waste Manag Res

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Management of waste is one of the major challenges faced by many developing countries. This study therefore attempts to develop a circular economy (CE) model to manage wastes and closing the loop and reducing the generation of residual wastes in Indian municipalities. Through extant literature review, the researchers found 30 success factors of CE implementation. Using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) SIMOS approach, the rating and weight of decision makers (DMs) for each factor were collected. A structured questionnaire has been developed incorporating all these 30 factors, to extract the most important factors. The data was collected from top 10 officials (DMs) from the Chennai municipality, who handle three regions (metropolitan, suburbia and industrial). Based on the TOPSIS SIMOS analysis, nine CE implementing factors (critical success factors (CSFs)) among the 30 variables that were significant based on the cut-off value was identified. A CE model has been proposed based on these nine CSFs for waste management in India.

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“…The high cost of construction and operation in comparison to land disposal (SYSTEMIQ et al, 2020) has meant that incineration has not been implemented extensively in the Global South. Incinerators require considerable expertise to operate and there have been several notable plant failures, for instance in India as reported by Nixon et al (2017). In another example, a facility completed in 2018 by a European Chinese consortium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was shut-down during the early stages of commissioning.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safely recovering value from plastic waste in the Global South: Opportunities and challenges for circular economy and plastic pollution mitigation

Cook¹,

Velis²,

Josh³

2021

Preprint

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Over the coming decades, a large additional mass of plastic waste will become available for recycling, as the world’s largest fast moving consumer goods companies step up efforts to reduce plastic pollution and facilitate a circular economy. Finding ways to recover value from this material is a substantial challenge that has prompted exploration of novel processes, such as ‘chemical recycling’, as well as more established ones, such as incineration with energy recovery. Many of these efforts will take place in the Global South, where plastic pollution and due to mismanagement of waste are most acute. New infrastructure will need to be developed, and it is important that the processes and systems chosen do not result in adverse effects on human health and the environment. This concern is particularly acute in countries that lack effective, well-resourced and independent systems for environmental regulation and the protection of occupational and public health. Here, we present a rapid review and critical semi-quantitative assessment of the potential risks posed by eight approaches to recovering value (resource recovery, circular economy) from post-consumer plastic packaging waste that has been collected and separated with the purported intention of recycling. The focus is on the Global South, where there are more chances that high risk processes could be run below standards of safe operation (though much of the evidence reviewed is inevitably based on research outcomes obtained in the Global North context). Our assessment indicates that under realistic, i.e. non-idealised operational conditions, mechanical reprocessing is the least impactful on the environment and is the most appropriate and effective method for implementation in the Global South. We find little difference in potential risks between so called ‘bottle-to-fibre’ and ‘bottle-to-bottle’ processes as they involve similar processing and both result in substantial avoided burdens from virgin production. The lack of real-world process data for the groups of processes known as ‘chemical recycling’ make them hard to assess. At present, there is no strong evidence that any of them have reached commercial stability when applied to processing post-consumer plastic packaging waste. Given this lack of maturity and potential for risk to human health and the environment (inferred through the handling of potentially hazardous substances under pressure and heat), it is hard to see how they will make a useful addition to the circular economy in the Global South in the near future. Incineration of waste plastics that have been collected for recycling is comparable with other forms of fossil fuel combustion used to generate energy and, despite the lack of process data, the same is likely for co-processing in cement kilns: notably, neither of these processes can be described as ‘recycling’ and, in general, are deemed as only the last resort in circular cascading systems. Though contemporary air pollution control technology is capable of comprehensively mitigating harmful emissions from combustion, there is a high risk that costly maintenance and management will not be carried out in the absence of strong regulation and enforcement. Inevitably, increasing circular economy activity will require expansion towards targeting flexible, multi-material and multi-layer products, for which mechanical recycling has well-established limitations; which has prompted exploration of alternative approaches. Yet, our comparative risk overview indicates major barriers to changing resource recovery mode from the already dominant mechanical recycling mode towards other nascent or energetic recovery approaches.

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Energy recovery from waste in India: An evidence-based analysis

Cited by 34 publications

References 22 publications

Municipal Solid Waste Management and Adverse Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Municipal Solid Waste Management and Adverse Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

A circular economy model for waste management in India

Safely recovering value from plastic waste in the Global South: Opportunities and challenges for circular economy and plastic pollution mitigation

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