Life cycle approach as a tool for assessing municipal biowaste treatment units: A systematic review.

IF 3.7 4区 环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL
Laís Fabiana Serafini, Paulo José Gomes Monteiro Praça, Fernando González-Andrés, Artur Gonçalves
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Abstract

Biowaste is an increasingly relevant environmental issue worldwide, causing significant environmental, economic and social impacts. Effective strategies are crucial to mitigate impacts, maximising biowaste's valorisation. This article presents a systematic literature review on using life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate municipal biowaste treatment facilities. The primary objective was to analyse how LCA is applied to assess the environmental efficiency of mechanical and biological treatment involving composting and anaerobic digestion (AD)-based systems. The article addressed the methodological heterogeneity across previous LCA studies, identifying critical gaps and challenges regarding standardisation and result comparability. It underscores the importance of accurately considering environmental indicators and emission factors, as these significantly affect overall LCA outcomes. Results show that most publications focus on Europe and Asia, highlighting a research gap in regions like Africa. The organic fraction municipal solid waste is the predominant feedstock, and 1 tonne of biowaste was the frequently used functional unit, reflecting the upstream impacts of waste. The most recurrent system boundary was the cradle-to-grave, offering a comprehensive analysis as it covers all stages of biowaste treatment from collection to disposal. The studies highlight the environmental benefits of AD-based systems through energy production compensations, particularly in reducing global warming potential, compared with other treatment operations such as landfills. While replacing mineral fertilisers with digestate and compost is very well discussed, it raises concerns about heavy metal content and nutrient availability. Therefore, selective collection of organic waste is crucial to improve compost quality and AD efficiency, though it increases transportation costs.

生命周期方法作为评估城市生物废物处理单位的工具:系统综述。
生物垃圾是世界范围内日益重要的环境问题,造成重大的环境、经济和社会影响。有效的战略对于减轻影响、最大限度地提高生物废物的价值至关重要。本文对利用生命周期评价(LCA)评价城市生物垃圾处理设施进行了系统的文献综述。主要目的是分析LCA如何应用于评估机械和生物处理的环境效率,包括堆肥和厌氧消化(AD)为基础的系统。本文讨论了以往LCA研究的方法异质性,确定了标准化和结果可比性方面的关键差距和挑战。它强调了准确考虑环境指标和排放因素的重要性,因为它们对LCA的总体结果有重大影响。结果表明,大多数出版物集中在欧洲和亚洲,突出了非洲等地区的研究差距。城市生活垃圾的有机组分是主要的原料,1吨生物垃圾是常用的功能单位,反映了废物的上游影响。最常见的系统边界是摇篮到坟墓,它提供了一个全面的分析,因为它涵盖了从收集到处置的生物废物处理的所有阶段。这些研究强调了与垃圾填埋等其他处理操作相比,基于ad的系统通过能源生产补偿带来的环境效益,特别是在降低全球变暖潜力方面。虽然用消化物和堆肥代替矿物肥料已经得到了很好的讨论,但它引起了对重金属含量和养分可用性的担忧。因此,尽管会增加运输成本,但选择性收集有机废物对提高堆肥质量和AD效率至关重要。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Waste Management & Research
Waste Management & Research 环境科学-工程:环境
CiteScore
8.50
自引率
7.70%
发文量
232
审稿时长
4.1 months
期刊介绍: Waste Management & Research (WM&R) publishes peer-reviewed articles relating to both the theory and practice of waste management and research. Published on behalf of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) topics include: wastes (focus on solids), processes and technologies, management systems and tools, and policy and regulatory frameworks, sustainable waste management designs, operations, policies or practices.
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