Environmental impact assessment of organic fraction of municipal solid waste treatment by anaerobic digestion in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The management of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) has continued to be a significant challenge in Sri Lanka. Anaerobic digestion is one of the management options of OFMSW. However, it generates unavoidable environmental impacts that should be addressed. The present study focuses to assess the environmental impact of a full-scale anaerobic digestion plant in Sri Lanka from a life cycle perspective. The inventory data were obtained from direct interviews and field measurements. Environmental burdens were found to be in terms of global warming potential (230 kg CO2 eq) ozone formation on human health (6.15 × 10−6 kg NO x eq), freshwater eutrophication (2.92 × 10−3 kg P eq), freshwater ecotoxicity (9.27 × 10−5 kg 1,4 DCB eq), human carcinogenic toxicity (3.98 × 10−4 kg 1,4 DCB eq), land use (1.32 × 10−4 m2 a crop eq) and water consumption (2.23 × 10−2 m3). The stratospheric ozone depletion, fine particulate matter formation, ozone formation on terrestrial ecosystems, terrestrial acidification, marine eutrophication, ecotoxicity (terrestrial and marine), human non-carcinogenic toxicity, mineral resource scarcity and fossil resource scarcity, were avoided due to electricity production. Results show that the direct gaseous emissions and digestate generation should be addressed in order to reduce the burdens from the anaerobic digestion plant. Finally, the results of the study could help in policy formation and decision-making in selecting future waste management systems in Sri Lanka.

Life Cycle Assessment of Integrated Municipal Organic Waste Management Systems in Thailand

“…Existing studies on environmental impact assessment of municipal organic waste management in other countries have not compared integrated technologies and sizes of treatment systems (i.e., [28][29][30][31][32][33]). Instead, they have tended to focus on centralized and conventional treatment technologies such as composting and anaerobic digestion.…”

Bibliometric Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Management Research: Global and South African Trends

“…In terms of research linkages or collaborations with other countries, the USA and the United Kingdom (UK) had most linkages with 64 and 63 other countries, respectively. They were followed by China (59), Germany (55), India (50), Italy (47), France (42), Spain (39), Canada (37), and Japan (36). The 64 links observed for the USA were between countries such as France, UK, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, India, Turkey, Canada, and South Africa.…”

“…Cluster III was largely occupied by "anaerobiosis", "anerobic digestion", "bioreactors", and the "management of sewages" (Figure 5). Some of the key research in Cluster III involved the environmental impact assessment of the organic fraction from MSW treatment by anaerobic digestion [50]. Anaerobic digestion transforms organic matter to biogas and sludge under anaerobiosis.…”

“…The process is effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the resultant biogas can be used as a renewable energy source. Moreover, the resulting digestate can also be used as fertilizer to improve soil quality [50]. In Cluster III, "pollutant removal" and "wastewater treatment" were closely linked.…”

A Critical Review of Data Science Applications in Resource Recovery and Carbon Capture from Organic Waste

“…Among these applications, 86% were LCA of which 69% utilized the following methods: CML, IPCC, ReCiPe, ILCD, and EDIP (Figure b and Table S10). The majority of these studies (with agricultural residue, organic municipal solid waste, and animal waste as feedstocks) were conducted in European countries (i.e., Italy, Germany, United Kingdom) and Asia (i.e., China, India, Iran). ,,− …”