Research On Synergistic Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction During Waste To Energy Process In Typical China’s Cities

Waste-to-energy (WtE) can not only generate energy in the municipal solid wastedisposal process, but also reduce greenhouse gas emission. Taking two WtE methods(incineration with energy and landfill with landfill gas utilization) as objects, thispaper calculated the gas emission reductions of the two WtE methods in northern andsouthern cities in China. This paper researched the synergistic effect of greenhousegas emission reduction and waste disposal, and then made cost-benefit analysis forWtE methods under per unit greenhouse gas reduction.This paper includes two parts. The first part is to analysis the appropriate WtEmethod for different cities by comparing the synergistic reduction effect of WtEmethods between northern and southern cities in China. Such can help to provide thebasis for the construction of WtE projects in different cities. The second part is toanalysis the impacts of carbon trading revenue and tipping fee to thecost-effectiveness of WtE methods by comparing the costs and benefits of WtEmethods between typical northern and southern cities in China. Such can help thelocal government develop appropriate tipping fee and other related systems.Without considering the CO2of biogenic origin, the reductions for landfill withlandfill gas utilization are bigger in southern cities (905~999kg CO2e t–1MSW) thanin northern cities (529~767kg CO2e t–1MSW). And the values for incineration withenergy are substantially the same,810~1092kg CO2e t–1MSW in northern cities and754~1057kg CO2e t–1MSW in southern cities. It deserves attention that CO2ofbiogenic origin has a greater impact on the accounting results. There is relatively largepotential for WtE projects in southern cities and the cost-effectiveness is very goodfor landfill with landfill gas utilization there. Government should give priority tosupporting the southern cities to carry out WtE projects.Even without carbon trading, as tipping fees paid by local governments to WtEproject increasing, it would also improve the benefits of per unit greenhouse gasreduction, so as to promote the reduction.