Municipal Solid Waste as a valuable recycled asset for small-scale electricity production in rural communities

V. Silva, João Cardoso, P. Brito, L. Tarelho, J. Luz
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Abstract

Municipal solid waste provides an opportunity for electricity production. This strategy provides the rural communities a potential waste-to-energy opportunity to manage its costly residues problem, turning them into a valuable recycled asset. To address this issue, a techno-economic study of an integrated system comprising gasification of Acacia residues and Portuguese Municipal Solid Waste (PMSW) with an Internal Combustion Engine-Generator (ICEG) for electricity generation at small-scale (100 kW) was developed. Current studies only devote attention to biomass residues and do not explore MSW potential to eschew biomass supply shortage. Conventional systems are generally part of biomass supply chains, limiting flexibility and all year operation for their operators. Experimental data was gathered at a downdraft gasifier to provide a clear assessment of particle and tar concentration in the syngas and levers conditioning a satisfactory ICE operation. Once the potential of using Acacia residues and PMSW has been proven during gasification runs testing, and validation, a set of new conditions was also explored through a high-fidelity CFD model. We find that residues blends have the highest potential to generate high-quality syngas and smallest exposure to supply disruption. Despite both substrates showing potential at specific conditions, they also present individual drawbacks which will be best mitigated by executing a hybrid supply comprising the mix of substrates. An economic model coupling the financial indicators of net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and the payback period (PBP) considering a project lifetime of 25 years was developed. Cost factors include expenses with electricity generation, initial investment, amortizations and operation and maintenance (containing fuels costs). Revenues were estimated from electricity generated and sales to the national grid. A sensitivity analysis based on the Monte Carlo method was used to measure the economic model performance and to determine the risk in investing in such venture. The risk appraisal yielded favorable investment projections, with an NPV reaching positive values, an IRR superior to the discount rate and PBP lower than the project life span. This work allowed to confirm the positive effect of the generation of energy from downdraft gasification plants on a small-scale. Regardless of the project’s feasibility, the economic performance depended to a large extent on the electricity prices which present considerable variability and are subject to political decisions.
城市固体废物作为农村社区小型电力生产的宝贵回收资产
城市固体废物为发电提供了机会。这一战略为农村社区提供了一个潜在的废物转化为能源的机会,以管理其昂贵的残留物问题,将其转化为宝贵的可回收资产。为了解决这个问题,开发了一项综合系统的技术经济研究,该系统包括金合木残留物和葡萄牙城市固体废物(PMSW)与内燃机发电机(ICEG)的气化,用于小规模(100千瓦)发电。目前的研究只关注生物质残留物,而没有探索城市生活垃圾的潜力,以避免生物质供应短缺。传统系统通常是生物质供应链的一部分,限制了操作员的灵活性和全年运行。实验数据收集在一个下吸式气化炉,以提供一个清晰的评估颗粒和焦油浓度的合成气和杠杆调节令人满意的冰操作。一旦在气化运行测试和验证中证明了使用金合树残留物和PMSW的潜力,就会通过高保真CFD模型探索一系列新的条件。我们发现,残留物混合物产生高质量合成气的潜力最大,并且对供应中断的影响最小。尽管这两种基板在特定条件下都显示出潜力,但它们也存在各自的缺点,这将通过执行包含基板混合物的混合电源来最好地减轻。建立了考虑项目寿命为25年的净现值(NPV)、内部收益率(IRR)和投资回收期(PBP)等财务指标的经济模型。成本因素包括发电、初始投资、摊销和运行和维护费用(含燃料成本)。收入估计来自发电和向国家电网出售的电力。基于蒙特卡罗方法的敏感性分析被用来衡量经济模型的表现,并确定投资于此类企业的风险。风险评估产生了有利的投资预测,NPV达到正值,IRR优于贴现率,PBP低于项目寿命。这项工作证实了小规模下吸式气化厂产生能源的积极影响。无论项目的可行性如何,经济效益在很大程度上取决于电价,而电价具有很大的可变性,并受政治决定的影响。
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