Analysing the Sustainability of the Production of Solid Recovered Fuel from Screening Waste

Abstract

The development in wastewater management has caused a shift towards a circular model that prioritises energy generation and waste reduction. Traditional unitary processes in wastewater treatment, such as screening, only allow for landfill disposal without energy recovery. However, producing solid recovered fuel (SRF) from waste screening may be a possibility. The economic and environmental viability of this alternative, as a fundamental requirement for its implementation at industrial level, was assessed through a multi-scenario analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. The cost and benefit streams were determined based on the financial net present value (NPVf) and the social net present value (NPVs), including monetised CO2 emissions generated. The results showed that waste drying costs were found to be the most significant ones, with thermal drying being more financially advantageous than solar drying. The densification of SRF raises the costs by 7.88 to 8.48%, but its use as fuel would likely be profitable due to the economic benefits it provides. Current landfill disposal practices, which have an NPVs of −1052.60 EUR/t, are not a feasible, particularly when compared to the other SRF production scenarios, with maximum NPVs of −53.91 EUR/t. SRF production without densification using solar drying is the most acceptable scenario with the lowest NPVs (38.39 EUR/t).