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Sustainability
Article . 2022 . Peer-reviewed
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Sustainability
Article . 2022
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Environmental Impact Assessment of Solid Waste to Energy Technologies and Their Perspectives in Australia

Authors: Behnam Dastjerdi; Vladimir Strezov; Ravinder Kumar; Masud Behnia;

Environmental Impact Assessment of Solid Waste to Energy Technologies and Their Perspectives in Australia

Abstract

The study assessed the environmental impacts of landfilling, anaerobic digestion and incineration technologies and investigated the effect of the replaced source of electricity on the environmental impacts of these waste to energy (WtE) technologies. Data published in the national pollutant inventories and ReCiPe impact assessment method were employed in this study. The study showed that electricity generation through incineration had the highest impacts on human health and ecosystems, followed by landfilling. Compared to the electricity of the Australian national grid, electricity generated from all three WtE technologies have a lower environmental impact. The results revealed that global warming and fine particulate matter formation with more than 97.6% contribution were the main impact factors for human health, while terrestrial acidification, global warming and ozone formation were contributing to more than 99% of the impacts to ecosystems. Global warming was the most impactful category on human health and ecosystems from incineration with over 85% contribution to both endpoint categories. Incineration revealed significantly higher avoided global warming impacts to human health and ecosystems than landfilling from the treatment of one tonne of solid waste by replacing electricity from brown coal, black coal or the Australian power grid. The growing share of renewable energy in the Australian power grid is expected to decrease the grid GHG emissions and the effect of the avoided impacts of replaced electricity. The results revealed that if the GHG emissions from the Australian power grid (757 kg CO2 eq/MWh) decrease to break-even point (621 kg CO2 eq/MWh), incineration loses the climate advantage over landfilling.

Country
Australia
Keywords

environmental impact assessment, Environmental effects of industries and plants, national pollutant inventories, TJ807-830, environmental impact assessment; waste to energy technologies; national pollutant inventories; human health; power grid emissions, human health, TD194-195, waste to energy technologies, Renewable energy sources, Environmental sciences, 306, GE1-350, power grid emissions

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citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
1
Average
Average
Average
Green
gold