Utilization of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Municipal Solid Waste Management in Urmia Metropolis

Authors

Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

In the last few decades, increasing in the world population and subsequently, rising in production and utilization of resources have caused Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) production to go up significantly day by day. Therefore, it is necessary to use new methods and techniques in order to evaluate the environmental pollution and manage this waste. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the new techniques that has been used in this study to evaluate and compare the scenarios for managing the MSW in Urmia metropolis. Four scenarios of composting, incineration, sanitary landfilling and recycling were presented as solutions. The obtained data has been analyzed by Simapro software. Each scenario was analyzed in terms of ten environmental indicators that include abiotic depletion potential, ozone layer depletion potential, global warming potential, human toxicity potential, fresh water toxicity potential, marine toxicity potential, terrestrial toxicity potential, acidification, photochemical oxidation and eutrophication indicators. The results indicated the sanitary landfilling scenario had the highest pollution in eight environmental indicators. The incineration scenario was the most pollutant scenario for the ozone layer depletion potential and global warming potential indicators. Recycling was shown as the best scenario, which has the lowest effects on global warming potential and human toxicity potential indicators. Composting was recognized with the lowest footprint on seven environmental indicators against the other scenarios. In addition, this scenario has the least environmental pollution about the ozone layer depletion potential among all the indicators. Furthermore, the final environmental indicator was analyzed to compare the presented scenarios and regarding

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Agricultural Mechanization
Volume 8, Issue 3
September 2023

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 June 2023
  • Revise Date: 29 November 2023
  • Accept Date: 16 December 2023

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