Evaluation of Multi-Utility Models with Municipal Solid Waste Combustion as the Primary Source under Specific Geographical and Operating Conditions

Abstract

Developments in waste incineration technology in terms of efficient fuel preparation, combustion, and emissions reduction, as well as the growing needs of the community in terms of electricity, water, and air conditioning loads, are the prime motive for this study. This study presents a novel approach, in which three models of the fluidized bed combustion of municipal waste for simultaneous power generation, freshwater production, and district cooling are analyzed for their energy and exergy performance. The three simultaneously evaluated utility models are different configurations of a fluidized bed combustion system with Rankine cycle power generation, cooling with a vapor absorption refrigeration system, and fresh water production using multiple effect desalination. The output from the turbine, cooling system, and desalination system is determined using the Engineering Equations Solver for different boiler operating pressures. Energy and exergy analysis data for different pressures are used to identify the best configuration. Two variants of the absorption cooling system, namely, single effect and double effect, are considered. The variants of the multiple-effect desalination are the three-stage and five-stage methods. Input parameters used in this study are municipal solid waste generation and composition data collected for an urban community in an arid climate zone with high demand for electric power, cooling, and fresh water. Model 2, which contains two turbines with the reheating and cooling systems connected to a high-pressure turbine and water desalination connected to a low-pressure turbine, gave the best overall performance. Significant savings in terms of the replacement of conventional energy were observed from these waste conversion plants with greater benefits in arid weather conditions. The results obtained by different models under different operating criteria constitute a guideline for municipal planners for the selection of appropriate waste utilization technology, as well as the appropriate operations.

Assessment of Energy-Efficient Spouted Bed Aerobic Composting Performance for Municipal Solid Waste: Experimental Study

“…Life cycle assessments of MSW management have exposed landfilling, anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, and transportation as major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The acknowledgment of the 5Rs inculcation principle, the segregation of waste at its source, and composting as manure, in addition to effective regulations and policies, would serve to mitigate the MSW management problem [13]. Composting is one of the MSW management techniques used to decompose organic waste and involves biological treatment to convert waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments under controlled conditions [14].…”

Methodology for Selecting an Ideal Thermal Gasification Technique for Municipal Solid Waste Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

“…One of the disadvantages of incineration is the gaseous emissions which include global warming-causing gases like carbon dioxide and methane and other harmful emissions like nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and other nitrogen oxides [4]. Combustion of MSW using a fluidized bed has the potential to provide cooling and electricity under specific geographical and operating conditions [5]. Thermal gasification of MSW is a more complex process compared to incineration, wherein the waste is converted to simpler molecules, and hence the production of gases like dioxins and furans is prevented [6].…”