Assessment of Energy Recovery from Municipal Waste Management Systems Using Circular Economy Quality Indicators

Zygmunt Kowalski, Joanna Kulczycka (), Agnieszka Makara, Roland Verhé and Guy De Clercq
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Zygmunt Kowalski: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences, Wybickiego 7a, 31-261 Cracow, Poland
Joanna Kulczycka: Faculty of Management, AGH University of Science and Technology, Gramatyka 10, 30-067 Cracow, Poland
Agnieszka Makara: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
Roland Verhé: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Guy De Clercq: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-22

Abstract: A complex method developed to assess quality within a proposed framework and at a certain scope of measurement for circular economy (CE) quality indicators is presented. This was used to compare three different scenarios for municipal waste management systems: 1—incineration; 2—recycling and reuse of separated municipal waste and the transformation of the organic fraction into biodiesel and bio-coal; and 3—an upgraded Scenario 2 including decreased recycling of waste streams and the bioprocessing of paper/cardboard and processing the non-recycled fraction into bio-diesel, bio-coal, and second-generation biofuel. For the evaluation of the CE quality indicator, a set of technical, environmental, economic, and social elements was selected by a panel of experts, who also assigned them a qualitative assessment and weighting on the basis of the factors identified. The calculated Relative Increase in the CE indicator for the scenarios analyzed showed that Scenarios 3 and 2 are much more beneficial than Scenario 1 in technical, environmental, economic and social terms.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; incineration; hydrothermal processing; bio fermentation; biofuel; circular economy indicator; qualitative assessment (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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