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A slight warm up exercise
Before we get started…
What do You See?
TREASURE FROM TRASH: METHODS FOR HANDLING BIODEGRADABLE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MORE SUSTAINABLY
Sam MarkolfThe University of Texas at Austin
Washington Internships for Students of EngineeringSponsored by: American Institute of Chemical
Engineers
Outline of Presentation
Overview of Waste Management Novel Approaches to Waste
Management Policy Overview Recommendations for Policy
Changes Impact and Implications Summary and Conclusions
Overview of Waste Management
How much waste is actually generated? 250 million tons vs 413 million
tons Landfills
The U.S. is the leading landfill user in the world
Recycling/Composting 61 million tons recycled and 22.1
million tons composted Waste To Energy
(Combustion) Roughly 103 facilities in the U.S.
as of 2006
Land-fill
54%
Re-cy-
cling/Compost33%
Waste to
En-ergy13%
Breakdown of Waste Disposal Methods in the
U.S.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008.
Why is biodegradable waste important?
Almost 64% of generated waste is biodegradable
Only 2.5% of food waste composted
Nearly 65% of yard trimmings composted
Can be used as compost or source of renewable energy
Pa-per31%
Yard Trim
mings13%
Food Scraps13%
Plas-tics12%
Metals8%
Rubber, leather,
and textiles
8%
Other3%
Glass5%
Wood7%
Breakdown of Waste Streams in the U.S.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008.
Why is biodegradable waste important?
Almost 64% of generated waste is biodegradable
Only 2.5% of food waste composted
Nearly 65% of yard trimmings composted
Can be used as compost or source of renewable energy
Paper31%
Yard Trim
mings13%
Food Scraps13%
Plastics12%
Metals8%
Rubber, leather,
and textiles
8%
Other3%
Glass5%
Wood7%
Breakdown of Waste Streams in the U.S.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . (2009, November). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008.
Concerns with Waste Management
Emissions from landfills GHG emissions from landfills
are equivalent to 22.9 million passenger vehicles
Emissions from transportation Some waste is sent over 600
miles to landfill Inefficient use of resources
Much of the waste can be recycled or reprocessed
Siting and Land-use Issues It’s more difficult to build
new landfills
What is Aerobic Composting (AC)?
Source: Torfaen County Borough, Environment & Planning: Composting, 2009, http://www.torfaen.gov.uk/EnvironmentAndPlanning/RubbishWasteAndRecycling/Composting/Home.aspx
Potential Solution: Composting
Produces valuable soil additives
Many potential uses for compost products
Produces minimal GHG emissions
Requires relatively pure feedstock
Lack of markets for compost products
Potential for odor issues to arise
Pros Cons
What is Anaerobic Digestion (AD)?
Current Use in the U.S. Waste Water
Treatment Rural Applications
Current Use in Europe Municipal Solid
Waste Over 200 Facilities Capacity of 6 million
tons
Source: Waste Solutions (2008), Anaerobic Digestion, http://www.wastetechnz.com/Solutions/Anaerobic_Digestion/
Potential Solution: Anaerobic Digestion
Produces compost-like soil additive
Produces useful biogas
Greatly reduces solid waste volume
Need for consistent and “pure” feedstock
Higher capital costs
Market not established for products of AD
Pros Cons
Policy Overview
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (‘76) Congress charged
state and municipal governments with the responsibility of managing non-hazardous waste
Political Environment Policy Goals Develop an Integrated
Solid Waste Management System Considers environmental,
social, and economic ramifications
Compatible with local conditions
Fits within national waste management strategy
Policy Recommendations: Easier to Implement
Increasing Public Awareness
Increase public awareness and knowledge related to waste management Provide Press Releases Develop PSAs for all forms of media Host conferences and forums for key
stakeholders
Policy Recommendations: Easier to Implement
Encouraging Volunteer Participation
Create certification system that recognizes “Green Cities” or “Green States” Establish quantifiable criteria of evaluation Different criteria for different sizes and
locations Cities and states want to improve “quality of
life”
Policy Recommendations: Moderately Difficult to Implement
Regulatory Policies
Establish a standard and framework for accounting for waste from source to disposal
Establish regulatory and pricing framework that encourages growth in markets for secondary goods Establish quality standards for secondary products Establish national practice standards for AD and AC Establish pricing mechanisms for biogas and
compost
Funding Policies Provide funding that aids the establishment of
effective source separation of biodegradable waste
Provide funding for R&D and Testing/Pilot Projects with focus placed on the following areas: Universities Cities that use AD for water treatment, Cities that already have source separation of
biodegradable waste Areas with a high concentration of farming
Policy Recommendations: Moderately Difficult to Implement Contd.
Environmental Impacts
Waste Management
ProcessLandfill Compost Combustion
(WTE)
Net Carbon Emissions per ton of waste
0.06 -0.05 -0.05
Carbon Emissions
from mixed organic waste generated in
2008
3,881,400 -3,234,500 -3,234,500
Emissions in terms of
passenger vehicles
2,587,600(cars added)
2,156,333(cars
removed)
2,156,333(cars
removed)Net Carbon Emissions in terms of metric tons of carbon equivalent per short ton of waste
Comparison of Net GHG Emissions for Different Biodegradable Waste Management Processes
Adapted From: U.S. EPA, Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases, 2006
Environmental Impact Continued
Compost Lawn, Yard, &
Brush
Compost Food Waste
Combined Organics
Landfill LGR - Flaring
Landfill LGR - Electricity
Generation
Energy from Waste - Low
Estimate
Energy from Waste - High
Estimate
Energy from Waste - Best
Case Estimate
Operation cost per ton $29.77 $71.95 $60.94 $72.97 $60.72 $89.75 $147.84 $77.44
Environmental benefit per
ton$42.89 $42.89 $42.89 $6.73 $16.98 $21.86 $21.86 $21.86
True cost per ton ($13.12) $29.06 $18.04 $66.24 $43.74 $67.89 $125.97 $55.57
Comparison of the True Environmental Costs of Different Waste Management Options
Source: Morawski, C. (2008). Composting - Best Bang for MSW Managment Buck. 49 (10), 23 - 28.
Economic Impact
Landfills in Mid-West
U.S.
Landfills in Northwest
U.S.
Landfills in Northeast
U.S.
Composting in U.S.
Composting in Canada
WTE Facilities
AD
Facilities
Tipping Fee ($ per
metric ton of capacity)
Approx. $28 $88 - $110 Approx.
$110 $20 - $50 $46 - $68 $77- $190 $77- $140
Comparison of tipping fees for different waste management processes across North America1
Economic Analysis of Recycling/Reuse Industry2
• Recycling industry provides roughly 4 times as many jobs as waste
management industry
• Recycling industry earned an estimated $236 billion in 2001
• The Federal Government earned roughly $6.9 billion in tax revenues from
the recycling industry 1Levis, J. (2010). Assessment of the state of food waste in the United States and Canada. (e. al., Ed.) Waste Management .2R.W. Beck, Inc. (2001, July). U.S. Recycling Economic Information Study.
Now What Do You See?
Special Thanks to:AIChE, IEEE USA, and ACS
Dr. Tom Chapman and Dr. Basil “Bill” DoumasErica Wissolik
All my fellow WISE Interns
Questions?