Multi-Attribute Assessment of Waste-to-Energy Technologies for Medical, Industrial, and Electronic Residual Wastes

Abstract

There is a global need for residual waste management to prevent environmental and health hazards from waste and reduce its volume for disposal to sanitary landfills. A waste-to-energy (WtE) facility can provide solutions by converting energy from waste to generate electricity. In this study, a method of selecting the most appropriate WtE technology for residual wastes from medical, industrial, and electronic sectors was formulated and implemented through multi-attribute decision analysis. The preference of the investigators with technical knowledge from different fields of expertise was considered in ranking the most important parameters in the study. From the comparison of seven waste conversion technologies and four power generation technologies, the pyrolysis-Brayton plant was found to be the most suitable WtE technology for residual waste. Using empirical, literature, and industry data, a pyrolysis-Brayton WtE power plant was simulated at capacities of 1, 3, and 10 tons per day (tpd) for the three waste sectors. The results of the study showed that a WtE plant can reduce the volume of residual wastes by up to 90% and generated electricity up to 1.2 MW for 10 tpd plant simulations. The flexibility and small footprint of the pyrolysis-Brayton setup is suitable for installation in clustered locations. A pilot demonstration is recommended for future studies.