Systematic assessment of landfill mining potential in Zhejiang Province, China: Resource recovery and economic potential

IF 7.1 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Waste management Pub Date : 2025-09-02 DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2025.115102

Zongao Zhen , Xianchao Xiang , Hao Zhang , Shi Feng , Jingyuan Sima , Fangfang Lou , Qunxing Huang , Mika Horttanainen , Xiaodong Li

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Abstract

Landfilling has been the predominant municipal solid waste disposal method in recent decades. Recently, landfill mining has gained attention due to increasing raw material costs and environmental concerns. However, most research has focused on individual or limited specific cases, with insufficient studies on landfill mining potential at the regional or national level. This study established a regional-scale evaluation of the economic viability and environmental benefits of landfill mining in Zhejiang Province, China. Six representative landfills were selected based on an investigation of the status of landfills in the province. Using a waste age map, 316 waste samples weighing 816.56 kg were meticulously collected from 27 sampling points across the six landfills, covering waste generated from 1994 to 2020. The correlation analysis explored the relationship between landfill waste composition and landfill conditions/socio-economic factors, providing a basis for the preliminary assessment of waste composition based on landfill conditions and the socio-economic characteristics of the landfill service area. Additionally, the study evaluates the economic and environmental potential of landfill mining. The economic assessment highlighted the potential of landfill mining for societal actors, with potential NPV ranging from 26.2 to 47.8 USD/ton. Notable environmental benefits also be observed, with potential greenhouse gas emission reductions of 0.09–0.51 kg CO₂-eq/ton and leachate reductions of 0.34–2.13 m³/ton. This study offers valuable insights into the resource recovery as well as the economic and environmental potential of landfill mining in Zhejiang Province, and serves as a useful reference for broader regional or national-scale assessments.

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浙江省垃圾填埋场采矿潜力系统评价：资源回收与经济潜力

近几十年来，填埋一直是主要的城市固体废物处理方法。最近，由于原材料成本增加和环境问题，垃圾填埋场采矿引起了人们的关注。然而，大多数研究都集中在个别或有限的具体案例上，对区域或国家一级的垃圾填埋场采矿潜力的研究不足。本研究在区域尺度上对浙江省填埋采矿的经济可行性和环境效益进行了评价。通过对全省垃圾填埋场现状的调查，选择了6个具有代表性的垃圾填埋场。利用废物年龄图，我们从六个堆填区的27个采样点精心收集了316个废物样本，总重量为816.56公斤，涵盖了1994年至2020年产生的废物。相关分析探讨了填埋场垃圾组成与填埋场条件/社会经济因素之间的关系，为基于填埋场条件和填埋场服务区社会经济特征对垃圾组成进行初步评价提供了依据。此外，该研究还评估了垃圾填埋场采矿的经济和环境潜力。经济评估强调了垃圾填埋场采矿对社会行动者的潜力，潜在净现值从26.2美元到47.8美元/吨不等。环境效益显著，潜在温室气体减排0.09-0.51 kg co2当量/吨，渗滤液减排0.34-2.13 m3/吨。本研究为浙江省垃圾填埋场开采的资源回收、经济和环境潜力提供了有价值的见解，并为更广泛的区域或全国范围的评价提供了有益的参考。

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来源期刊

Waste management 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

15.60

自引率

6.20%

发文量

492

审稿时长

39 days

期刊介绍： Waste Management is devoted to the presentation and discussion of information on solid wastes,it covers the entire lifecycle of solid. wastes. Scope: Addresses solid wastes in both industrialized and economically developing countries Covers various types of solid wastes, including: Municipal (e.g., residential, institutional, commercial, light industrial) Agricultural Special (e.g., C and D, healthcare, household hazardous wastes, sewage sludge)