Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors
The present paper provides an environmental assessment and ranking of different treatment options for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), which is a biowaste that typically contains food- and green-waste. The main biochemical treatment systems for OFMSW are composting (by-product:...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790823000563 |
| _version_ | 1797796154601111552 |
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| author | Steffen Lewerenz Gregor Sailer Stefan Pelz Hendrik Lambrecht |
| author_facet | Steffen Lewerenz Gregor Sailer Stefan Pelz Hendrik Lambrecht |
| author_sort | Steffen Lewerenz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present paper provides an environmental assessment and ranking of different treatment options for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), which is a biowaste that typically contains food- and green-waste. The main biochemical treatment systems for OFMSW are composting (by-product: fertilizer) and anaerobic digestion (by-products: biogas and digestate), which are often combined in practice. Total impact scores as evaluated by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the Ecological Scarcity Method range from 8 to 31 eco-points for Germany (EPG) per kg treated OFMSW with “Global Warming” and “Main Air Pollutants” (such as NH3) as main environmental impacts. In spite of significant uncertainties in the available emission data, the subsequent application of a Monte Carlo Analysis provides a robust ranking of the treatment systems. The analysis reveals that the transportation distance is a crucial factor to increase the ecological benefit of an OFMSW treatment system. Consequently, decentral structures with short transportation distances (e.g. 17 km) as well as an optimal plant operation mode are more important to reduce emissions than the choice of the treatment system itself. Further research should focus on monitoring campaigns to generate better representative operational datasets for the different types of OFMSW treatment plants such as plug-flow or batch digestion systems as well as for the composting technologies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:28:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dc891f3da95b4e90996d8b6c378ac737 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-7908 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:28:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cleaner Engineering and Technology |
| spelling | doaj.art-dc891f3da95b4e90996d8b6c378ac7372023-06-25T04:44:02ZengElsevierCleaner Engineering and Technology2666-79082023-08-0115100651Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factorsSteffen Lewerenz0Gregor Sailer1Stefan Pelz2Hendrik Lambrecht3Institute for Industrial Ecology, Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175, Pforzheim, Germany; Corresponding author.State Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 9, 70599, Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Bioenergy, University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg, Schadenweilerhof 1, 72108, Rottenburg am Neckar, GermanyInstitute for Industrial Ecology, Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175, Pforzheim, GermanyThe present paper provides an environmental assessment and ranking of different treatment options for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), which is a biowaste that typically contains food- and green-waste. The main biochemical treatment systems for OFMSW are composting (by-product: fertilizer) and anaerobic digestion (by-products: biogas and digestate), which are often combined in practice. Total impact scores as evaluated by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the Ecological Scarcity Method range from 8 to 31 eco-points for Germany (EPG) per kg treated OFMSW with “Global Warming” and “Main Air Pollutants” (such as NH3) as main environmental impacts. In spite of significant uncertainties in the available emission data, the subsequent application of a Monte Carlo Analysis provides a robust ranking of the treatment systems. The analysis reveals that the transportation distance is a crucial factor to increase the ecological benefit of an OFMSW treatment system. Consequently, decentral structures with short transportation distances (e.g. 17 km) as well as an optimal plant operation mode are more important to reduce emissions than the choice of the treatment system itself. Further research should focus on monitoring campaigns to generate better representative operational datasets for the different types of OFMSW treatment plants such as plug-flow or batch digestion systems as well as for the composting technologies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790823000563Life cycle assessmentOFMSW treatmentAnaerobic digestionBiogasEcological scarcity methodMonte Carlo analysis |
| spellingShingle | Steffen Lewerenz Gregor Sailer Stefan Pelz Hendrik Lambrecht Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors Cleaner Engineering and Technology Life cycle assessment OFMSW treatment Anaerobic digestion Biogas Ecological scarcity method Monte Carlo analysis |
| title | Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| title_full | Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| title_fullStr | Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| title_short | Life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment – Considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| title_sort | life cycle assessment of biowaste treatment considering uncertainties in emission factors |
| topic | Life cycle assessment OFMSW treatment Anaerobic digestion Biogas Ecological scarcity method Monte Carlo analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790823000563 |
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