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An emergy-LCA analysis of municipal solid waste management

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  • Liu, Gengyuan
  • Hao, Yan
  • Dong, Liang
  • Yang, Zhifeng
  • Zhang, Yan
  • Ulgiati, Sergio

Abstract

Waste management is a specific practice aimed at reducing the effects of waste materials on the environment and increasing material and energy recovery. The Beijing Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Treatment System has been slow to adopt new technologies capable to enable better treatment results. The aim of the present ecological-economic evaluation of different treatment technologies is to achieve the maximum practical benefits from investments and to ensure the minimum environmental impacts of waste flows based on variable source-separated collection and transportation rates. This paper compared four garbage treatment systems, including separate collection and transportation, sanitary landfills systems, fluidized bed incineration system, and the composting system in Beijing. Results show that as far as the Source Separation Rate (SSR) increased, the yield of recycled materials and sorted waste also rose. High SSR and Separated Transportation Rate (STR) could make recycling more beneficial: however, if more than one approach is applied, it is possible to organize the different steps in a way that minimizes costs and losses. A joint emergy-LCA method is applied in this study to assess the environmental impact of input and output flows and suggest process improvement. The integration offers a way to quantitatively and qualitatively assess costs and benefits, for aware and sound MSW management.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Gengyuan & Hao, Yan & Dong, Liang & Yang, Zhifeng & Zhang, Yan & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2017. "An emergy-LCA analysis of municipal solid waste management," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 131-143.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:120:y:2017:i:c:p:131-143
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.12.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Alizadeh, Sadegh & Avami, Akram, 2021. "Development of a framework for the sustainability evaluation of renewable and fossil fuel power plants using integrated LCA-emergy analysis: A case study in Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1548-1564.
    3. Lu, Hongfang & Lin, Bin-Le & Campbell, Daniel E. & Wang, Yanjia & Duan, Wenqi & Han, Taotao & Wang, Jun & Ren, Hai, 2022. "Australia-Japan telecoupling of wind power-based green ammonia for passenger transportation: Efficiency, impacts, and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Zhao, Rui & Xi, Beidou & Liu, Yiyun & Su, Jing & Liu, Silin, 2017. "Economic potential of leachate evaporation by using landfill gas: A system dynamics approach," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 74-84.
    5. Xiumei Xu & Chao Feng & Yongshan Du & Qimeng Wang & Gaige Zhang & Yicheng Huang, 2022. "Evaluating the sustainability of a tourism system based on emergy accounting and emergetic ternary diagrams: a case study of the Xinjiang Kanas tourism area," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6731-6787, May.
    6. Lyu, Yanfeng & Raugei, Marco & Zhang, Xiaohong & Mellino, Salvatore & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2021. "Environmental cost and impacts of chemicals used in agriculture: An integration of emergy and Life Cycle Assessment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).

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