Economic and environmental assessment of plant-level decarbonization in waste-to-energy industry with CCUS technology: Evidence from China

Mao Xu, Jiayue Zhang, Zongguo Wen, Pengtao Wang and Jiehao Chen

Applied Energy, 2025, vol. 381, issue C, No S0306261924025327

Abstract: Waste-to-energy (WtE) technology is a key method for municipal waste treatment, particularly in China, the largest country by waste incineration volume globally. However, the increasing proportion of high‑carbon waste components has led to a rise in the carbon intensity of WtE generation. This trend presents significant challenges for the low-carbon development of WtE plants. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) offers a potential technical solution for deep decarbonization of WtE facilities. Nonetheless, the associated economic costs and environmental impacts, such as water consumption, remain uncertain. In response to these challenges, a plant-level carbon source inventory for the WtE industry in China was established to evaluate the temporal and spatial emission characteristics, and the CO2 emission reduction potential, CO2 abatement cost, and water demand were analyzed by developing a CCUS source-sink matching optimization model and a techno-economic evaluation model. The findings indicated that the total CO2 emissions from China's WtE plants amount to approximately 318.50 Mt. annually, with emissions predominantly concentrated in the eastern and coastal provinces in China. A total of 996 WtE plants could be matched with suitable CO2 storage sites within 800 km, potentially achieving a theoretical total emission reduction of up to 6.86 billion tons of CO2. Among these, 147 WtE plants can reduce over 2.4 billion tons of CO2 with an average cost of 91.1 CNY/t. However, the carbon-water trade-off issue may become significant for the WtE industry during the decarbonization process using CCUS technology. This study evaluated the economic and environmental impacts of deploying CCUS technology in the WtE industry in China, offering valuable insights for government and relevant enterprises. Additionally, it may serve as a reference for other countries considering the application of CCUS technology in WtE industry.

Keywords: Waste-to-energy; Carbon capture; Utilization and storage; Source-sink matching; Carbon-water trade-off (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125148

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