Implications of municipal solid waste disposal methods in China on greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Waste disposal sector is an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; therefore, it is important to accurately estimate GHG budget of waste disposal activities and evaluate its contribution to global GHG emissions. Based on the GHG inventory guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this study calculated GHGs from the municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal sector (including landfill, incineration, and compost) in China during the period 2002-2017. Overall GHG emission from the MSW disposal sector increased from 30,392.0 Gg CO 2 in 2002 to 76,623.0 Gg in 2017. MSW landfill contributed most to GHG emissions as indicated by the emission share of landfill decreasing from a peak value of 93.5% in 2002 to 65.8% in 2017. GHG emissions from MSW incineration increased rapidly from less than 3.0% in 2002 to 32.8% in 2017. In 2017, East China contributed the most among the seven regions of China, while the Northwest contributed the least. Methane mitigation technologies such as landfill gas to energy projects and functional solid cover utilization are the primary measures for reducing GHG emissions from landfill; conversion of the treatment method from landfill to incineration is another effective measure; MSW sorting and source reduction of waste amounts prior to incineration were also found to be promising strategies. K E Y W O R D S climate change, GHG emission inventory, incinerator, landfill, municipal solid waste

Determining Optimal Municipal Solid Waste Management Scenario Based on Best-Worst Method

“…S8 has the priority over S7 due to the following facts. First, for the overall GHG emission share of MSW disposal in China, MSW landfills contributed most to GHG emissions, with a peak value of 93.5% in 2002 (Zhao et al, 2020). Second, the carbon emission peak for the specific city might reach the GHG emission peak later than the national goal due to the clean energy supply limitations and continued rapid growth (Lin et al, 2018).…”

Tracking the carbon flows in municipal waste management in China

“…The rate of tertiary industry in GDP and the urban per capita disposable income were found having an indirect positive effect on the emissions. Zhao et al 12 evaluated the emissions in seven regions in China and noted that methane from landfills contributed most emissions, thus methane mitigation technologies such as landfill gas to energy projects and functional solid cover were recommended. Du et al 13 estimated methane emissions in MSW landfills by using the first-order decay (FOD) model.…”

Elemental sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification for advanced nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate after PN/A pretreatment

“…Sanitary landfill has been extensively applied to decompose municipal solid waste over decades owing to its economic and operational advantages, especially in developing countries [1][2][3]. The sanitary landfill imposes serious environmental risks even after complete closure of landfill sites due to high-strength landfill leachate produced through decomposition of solid waste as well as the percolation of rainfall and groundwater inside the landfill sites [4].…”