Evaluation of sustainable waste management: An analysis of techno-economic and life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste sorting and decontamination

IF 11.2 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Resources Conservation and Recycling Pub Date : 2024-10-16 DOI:10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107970

{"title":"Evaluation of sustainable waste management: An analysis of techno-economic and life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste sorting and decontamination","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107970","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the economic and environmental feasibility of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sorting and decontamination technologies across urban, suburban, and rural areas. Using Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the research assesses cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts, with a focus on cost variability analyzed through Monte Carlo simulations. Findings indicate significant cost differences based on population density: rural areas incur high costs up to $764/ton due to low waste volumes and limited infrastructure, whereas suburban and urban areas have more feasible costs ranging from $36.3 to $142.5/ton. Environmental impacts also vary, with greenhouse gas emissions at 171 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq/ton for copy paper and 118.6 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq/ton for plastics. PM2.5 levels are 9.1 g/ton for copy paper and 6.3 g/ton for plastics, with sorting lines being the main contributors. Monte Carlo simulations reveal a 50% probability of costs being below $102.26/ton for copy paper and $115.8/ton for plastics in suburban settings. The study underscores the importance of customized waste management strategies to improve economic viability and sustainability based on local conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344924005615","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study evaluates the economic and environmental feasibility of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sorting and decontamination technologies across urban, suburban, and rural areas. Using Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the research assesses cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts, with a focus on cost variability analyzed through Monte Carlo simulations. Findings indicate significant cost differences based on population density: rural areas incur high costs up to $764/ton due to low waste volumes and limited infrastructure, whereas suburban and urban areas have more feasible costs ranging from $36.3 to $142.5/ton. Environmental impacts also vary, with greenhouse gas emissions at 171 kg CO₂ eq/ton for copy paper and 118.6 kg CO₂ eq/ton for plastics. PM2.5 levels are 9.1 g/ton for copy paper and 6.3 g/ton for plastics, with sorting lines being the main contributors. Monte Carlo simulations reveal a 50% probability of costs being below $102.26/ton for copy paper and $115.8/ton for plastics in suburban settings. The study underscores the importance of customized waste management strategies to improve economic viability and sustainability based on local conditions.

查看原文本刊更多论文

评估可持续废物管理：城市固体废物分类和净化的技术经济和生命周期评估分析

本研究评估了城市固体废物 (MSW) 分类和净化技术在城市、郊区和农村地区的经济和环境可行性。研究利用技术经济分析（TEA）和生命周期评估（LCA），评估了成本效益和环境影响，重点是通过蒙特卡洛模拟分析的成本变化。研究结果表明，人口密度不同，成本差异也很大：农村地区由于废物量少，基础设施有限，成本高达 764 美元/吨，而郊区和城市地区的成本更低，从 36.3 美元/吨到 142.5 美元/吨不等。对环境的影响也各不相同，复印纸的温室气体排放量为 171 千克二氧化碳当量/吨，塑料为 118.6 千克二氧化碳当量/吨。复印纸和塑料的 PM2.5 分别为 9.1 克/吨和 6.3 克/吨，分拣线是主要的排放源。蒙特卡罗模拟显示，在郊区环境中，复印纸和塑料的成本分别低于 102.26 美元/吨和 115.8 美元/吨的可能性分别为 50%。这项研究强调了定制化废物管理战略的重要性，以根据当地条件提高经济可行性和可持续性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Resources Conservation and Recycling 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

22.90

自引率

6.10%

发文量

625

审稿时长

23 days

期刊介绍： The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns. Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.