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An Analysis of Operational Efficiencies in the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Plants of Kaohsiung Municipality (Taiwan)

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  • Wen-Tien Tsai

    (Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan)

Abstract

As the second-largest city in Taiwan, the Kaohsiung municipality has faced serious environmental loadings in recent decades. Among them, waste management is a key issue because of large amount of urban and industrial waste produced daily. In this regard, waste-to-energy (WTE) systems adopting the best available control technology for air pollution is a win-win approach because it also generates electricity to mitigate the dependence on imported fossil fuels and the greenhouse gas emissions incidentally. In this work, the updated status of municipal solid waste (MSW) and WTE plants in Kaohsiung were analyzed to get the crux based on the official database. Using the operational data on the WTE plants over recent years (2003–2018), the analysis of operational efficiencies for the four WTE plants in Kaohsiung was addressed in the paper. It showed that their operational efficiencies, ranging from 0.287 to 0.568 kW-h/kg, indicated an approximate “bathtub curve” pattern. In addition, analyzing the project for revamping the Gangshan WTE plant showed a significant progress in operational efficiencies with a significant increase from 0.506 kW-h/kg in 2016 to 0.587 kW-h/kg in 2018. Finally, some recommendations on technological measures and regulatory incentives for upgrading the operational efficiencies of existing WTE plants were addressed in the work.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen-Tien Tsai, 2019. "An Analysis of Operational Efficiencies in the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Plants of Kaohsiung Municipality (Taiwan)," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-13, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:8:y:2019:i:3:p:125-:d:247224
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tsai, Wen-Tien & Chou, Yao-Hung & Lin, Chien-Ming & Hsu, Hsin-Chieh & Lin, Keng-Yu & Chiu, Chunh-Siang, 2007. "Perspectives on resource recycling from municipal solid waste in Taiwan," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1-2), pages 69-79.
    2. Tsai, Wen-Tien & Kuo, Kuan-Chi, 2010. "An analysis of power generation from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants in Taiwan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 4824-4830.
    3. Tsai, W. T. & Chou, Y. H., 2005. "Overview of environmental impacts, prospects and policies for renewable energy in Taiwan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 119-147, April.
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