Energy Contribution of OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste) to Energy-Environmental Sustainability in Urban Areas at Small Scale

Umberto Di Matteo, Benedetto Nastasi, Angelo Albo and Davide Astiaso Garcia
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Umberto Di Matteo: Department of Sustainability Engineering—Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy
Benedetto Nastasi: Department of Architectural Engineering & Technology, Environmental & Computational Design Section, TU Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands
Angelo Albo: Department of Sustainability Engineering—Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy
Davide Astiaso Garcia: Department of Astronautics Electrical Energy Engineering—Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Urban waste management is one of the most challenging issues in energy planning of medium and large cities. In addition to the traditional landfill method, many studies are investigating energy harvesting from waste, not as a panacea but as a foreseeable solution. Thermo-chemical conversion to biogas, or even bio-methane under certain conditions, could be an option to address this challenge. This study focuses on municipal solid waste conversion to biogas as a local energy supply for the cities. Three urban models and their subdivision into urban areas were identified along with a typical Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) matrix for each urban area. Then, an energy analysis was carried out to provide an optimization map for an informed choice by urban policy-makers and stakeholders. The results highlighted how the urban context and its use could affect the opportunity to produce energy from waste or to convert it in fuel. So, in this case, sustainability means waste turning from a problem to a renewable resource.

Keywords: urban sustainability; municipal solid waste; biogas; bioenergy; sensitivity analysis; environmental management; distributed generation; energy planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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