Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Energetic Valorization

Abstract

In 2019, Chile generated 20 million tons of waste, 79% of which was not properly disposed of, thereby providing an attractive opportunity for energy generation in advanced thermochemical conversion processes. This study presents a techno-economic and environmental assessment of the implementation of Waste-Integrated Gasifier-Gas Turbine Combined Cycle (WIG-GTCC) technology as an alternative for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment. The studied case assesses the conversion of 14.61 t·h−1 of MSW, which produces a combustible gas with a flow rate of 34.2 t·h−1 and LHV of 5900 kJ·kg−1, which, in turn, is used in a combined cycle to generate 19.58 MW of electrical power. The proposed economic assessment of the technology uses the energy generation processes as a reference, followed by a model for an overall economic evaluation. The results have shown that the profit could be up to USD 24.1 million, and the recovery of investment between 12 and 17 years would improve the environmental impacts of the current disposal technology. The WIG-GTCC has the most efficient conversion route, emitting 0.285 kg CO2eq/kWh, which represents 48.21% of the potential yield of global warming over 100 years (GWP100) of incineration and 58.51% of the GWP100 of the standard gasification method. The WIG-GTCC would enable the energetic valorization of MSW in Chile, eliminate problems associated with landfill disposal, and increase opportunities for decentralized electricity generation.