Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration
Inadequate waste management strategies play a significant role in exacerbating environmental challenges, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and other adverse ecological impacts. These issues are aggravated by the global rise in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, sur...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Cristiano Queiroz Cerqueira Electo Eduardo Silva Lora Lidiane La Picirelli de Souza Márcio Montagnana Vicente Leme Regina Mambeli Barros Osvaldo José Venturini |
| author_facet | Cristiano Queiroz Cerqueira Electo Eduardo Silva Lora Lidiane La Picirelli de Souza Márcio Montagnana Vicente Leme Regina Mambeli Barros Osvaldo José Venturini |
| author_sort | Cristiano Queiroz Cerqueira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inadequate waste management strategies play a significant role in exacerbating environmental challenges, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and other adverse ecological impacts. These issues are aggravated by the global rise in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, surpassing the rate of population growth. Simultaneously, there is an urgent demand for sustainable energy solutions to combat climate change and its wide-ranging impacts. In response, this study addresses a critical question: is methanol production from MSW, a waste-to-chemical (WtC) alternative based on circular economy principles, a more environmentally sustainable approach compared to traditional waste-to-energy (WtE) methods like landfilling with biogas recovery and incineration? To answer this, this study evaluates the environmental performance of MSW-to-methanol technologies using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on key indicators such as global warming potential, resource depletion, and impacts on human health and ecosystem quality. The results reveal that methanol production from MSW significantly reduces global warming potential (GWP) by 87% compared to landfilling and 56% compared to incineration. Additionally, the process demonstrates high energy efficiency in electricity generation, achieving 80% of the output of incineration. These findings position MSW-to-methanol as a promising alternative for advancing sustainable waste management and renewable energy transitions. While the technology is still in its developmental stages, this research highlights the need for further advancements and policy support to enhance feasibility and scalability. By providing a comparative environmental analysis, this study contributes to identifying innovative pathways for addressing pressing waste management and energy sustainability challenges. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj-art-c9756e2f77f94f20abde327a474ca84c2025-01-24T13:48:15ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762025-01-011411210.3390/resources14010012Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and IncinerationCristiano Queiroz Cerqueira0Electo Eduardo Silva Lora1Lidiane La Picirelli de Souza2Márcio Montagnana Vicente Leme3Regina Mambeli Barros4Osvaldo José Venturini5Mechanical Engineering Institute, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá 37500-903, MG, BrazilMechanical Engineering Institute, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá 37500-903, MG, BrazilMechanical Engineering Institute, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá 37500-903, MG, BrazilDEG—Department of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras 37203-202, MG, BrazilNatural Resources Institute, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá 37500-903, MG, BrazilMechanical Engineering Institute, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá 37500-903, MG, BrazilInadequate waste management strategies play a significant role in exacerbating environmental challenges, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and other adverse ecological impacts. These issues are aggravated by the global rise in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, surpassing the rate of population growth. Simultaneously, there is an urgent demand for sustainable energy solutions to combat climate change and its wide-ranging impacts. In response, this study addresses a critical question: is methanol production from MSW, a waste-to-chemical (WtC) alternative based on circular economy principles, a more environmentally sustainable approach compared to traditional waste-to-energy (WtE) methods like landfilling with biogas recovery and incineration? To answer this, this study evaluates the environmental performance of MSW-to-methanol technologies using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on key indicators such as global warming potential, resource depletion, and impacts on human health and ecosystem quality. The results reveal that methanol production from MSW significantly reduces global warming potential (GWP) by 87% compared to landfilling and 56% compared to incineration. Additionally, the process demonstrates high energy efficiency in electricity generation, achieving 80% of the output of incineration. These findings position MSW-to-methanol as a promising alternative for advancing sustainable waste management and renewable energy transitions. While the technology is still in its developmental stages, this research highlights the need for further advancements and policy support to enhance feasibility and scalability. By providing a comparative environmental analysis, this study contributes to identifying innovative pathways for addressing pressing waste management and energy sustainability challenges.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/1/12circular economybiomethanolrefuse-derived fuel (RDF)waste managementwaste-to-energy |
| spellingShingle | Cristiano Queiroz Cerqueira Electo Eduardo Silva Lora Lidiane La Picirelli de Souza Márcio Montagnana Vicente Leme Regina Mambeli Barros Osvaldo José Venturini Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration Resources circular economy biomethanol refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste management waste-to-energy |
| title | Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration |
| title_full | Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration |
| title_fullStr | Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration |
| title_short | Life Cycle Assessment of Methanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste: Environmental Comparison with Landfilling and Incineration |
| title_sort | life cycle assessment of methanol production from municipal solid waste environmental comparison with landfilling and incineration |
| topic | circular economy biomethanol refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste management waste-to-energy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/14/1/12 |
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