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- Title
Analyzing Environmental Impacts and Energy Production of Various Treatment Methods for Sewage Sludge and Food Waste in Macau Using Life Cycle Assessment.
- Authors
CHIU, Sam L. H.; M. C. LO, Irene
- Abstract
Sewage sludge and food waste represent a large amount of biodegradable waste. This study aims to evaluate and compare different waste treatment methods for sewage sludge and food waste with respect to their environmental impacts and energy production. Macau, being as an urbanized city with low agricultural activities, is chosen as a reference city in this study. Three sewage sludge and food waste treatment scenarios are examined. The first scenario represents the current treatment method using incineration (i.e., sewage sludge and food waste combusted with other municipal solid waste). The second scenario represents a treatment method by anaerobic codigestion of sewage sludge and food waste. The third scenario represents a combination of two treatment methods in which sewage sludge is treated by the current incineration method while food waste is treated by anaerobic digestion. Life cycle assessment methodology is applied in this study using SimaPro 7.2.4 with ReCiPe 1.04. The scenarios are evaluated based on three indicators, namely human health, ecosystems, and energy production performance. Results show that anaerobic co-digestion scenario has the lowest environmental impacts and highest energy production than the other two scenarios. The anaerobic co-digestion treatment emits less greenhouse gases and other air pollutants such as NOx and SO2 than those from the other two scenarios which involves incineration. Moreover, greatest avoided emissions are achieved from anaerobic co-digestion scenario due to its high biogas production. It is believed that anaerobic codigestion could be an applicable treatment method for sewage sludge and food waste in urbanized city from environmental and energy production perspectives.
- Subjects
MACAU (China : Special Administrative Region); SEWAGE sludge &; the environment; FOOD industrial waste; BIODEGRADABLE products; WASTE treatment
- Publication
Journal of Solid Waste Technology & Management, 2016, Vol 42, Issue 1, p118
- ISSN
1088-1697
- Publication type
Article