SIMONETTA TUNESI TOOLS TO ASSESS ALTERNATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE SCENARIOS AND TO INFORM PUBLIC POLICIES

Transcription

1 TOOLS TO ASSESS ALTERNATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE SCENARIOS AND TO INFORM PUBLIC POLICIES SIMONETTA TUNESI 2 International Conference on Solid Wastes Management 26 Giugno2013

2 Waste management should not be conceived and planned as if made of disconnected portions: it is an integrated system. Perform the scientific assessment of the environmental performances of an integrated WM system - LCA; emission monitoring; risk analysis - to support optimal infrastructural planning adapted to the specific local conditions, facilitate public assessment of policies and discussion on risk.

3 An integrated WM system constantly exchanges matter and energy with the rest of society and the productive system The boundaries of the waste system PREVENTION By adopting industrial ecologycriteria the question becomes: HOW TO OPTIMIZE THESE EXCHANGES?

4 Need to assess the environmental performance of different INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT systems with scientific tools A complex system that requires sofisticated industrial infrastructure ample network of actors with often conflicting objectives risk of incinerators still intensely debated in some old industrialization Countries It is thus necessary to define how a change made on a node of the network affects the rest of an integrated system. WASTE COMPOSITION RIFIUTI URBANI RIFIUTI SPECIALI ASSIMILATI RESIDUI INDIFFERENZIATI PORTA A PORTA RESIDUI INDIFFERENZIATI PROSSIMITA'/STRADALE RD PORTA A PORTA TRASPORTO PRIVATO E PUBBLICO RD PROSSIMITA' ORGANISATION OF COLLECTION SCARTI ALIMENTARI SCARTI VEGETALI RD A PRIMA PULIZIA RD A PRIMA PULIZIA TRANSPORT CENTRI di A PRIMA PULIZIA RACCOLTA TRASPORTO A TRATTAMENTO TERMICO TRASPORTO A TRATTAMENTO TERMICO ENERGY RECOVERY WITH TT INTERMEDIATE / CLEANING PLANTS IMPIANTI DI PRIMA PULIZIA A COMPOSTAGGIO IMPIANTO COMPOSTAGGIO A DIGESTIONE ANAEROBICA TRATTAMENTO TERMICO RIFIUTI INDIFFERENZIATI PRE-TREATMENT DIGESTIONE ANAEROBICA A IMPIANTI DI SELEZIONE IMPIANTI DI SELEZIONE RECOVERY OF MATTER COMPOST RECOVERY FROM ORGANIC WASTES Compost Use SCARTI AL RECUPERO VETRO CARTA FE e non-fe RECUPERO NON-FERROSI NON-FERROSI FERROSI SCORIE CENERI A DISCARICA VETRO CARTA FE e non-fe RECUPERO FERROSI OTHER RECUPERO SCORIE TRASPORTO PLASTICA PLASTICA INTERNAZIONALE DISCARICA PERICOLOSI LANDFILL INTERNATIONA L TRANSPORT DISCARICA SCARTI ENERGIA ENERGIA DA SCARTI VEGETALI CENERI SCARTI A DISCARICA

5 1st tool LCA of integrated systems: Characteristics and advantages of Life Cycle Analysis in waste management optimisation It is a scientific and codifiedapproach. It allows the organizationof the high amount of data necessary to describe flows, infrastructure, and alternatives solutions (ISO / 14044). Organizing the system data by flows of waste/recovered materialhighlights the importance of adapting the WM solution to plants availability and territory s specificity. LCA use is set in the Waste Framework Directive (art. 4 c.2) Results are verifiable numbers allowing to assess the environmental performance of a product/service and to facilitate the public transparent discussion of alternative solutions.

6 The LCA of an integrated systems allows the comparison of the environmental performances of alternative WM SCENARIOS, and it requires the correct definition of the system boundaries Materials Recovery: changing% of segregated collection Recovery from organic wastes: both energy and matter Energy recovery form solid wastes- 3 strategies: Direct thermal treatment of residual wastes pre-treatment* of residual wastes and SRF to a dedicated plant pre-treatment of residual wasteswithouta dedicatedplant relyon the market: othertt, cement kiln, power stations. different MBTs approaches are described in the Juniper 2005 report.

7 LCA allows a synthetic and complete evaluation of alternative scenarios by use of main categories of impact (generic italian case study). 0,50-0,50 CO2 eq. Acidification Abiotic Resources Consumption A negative value means that WM gives an environmental benefit to the external system. -1,50 1A Landfill 1B TT persone eq. -2,50-3,50 1C MBT/TT 1F MBT/CEM 1E TT/AD/t All scenarios: segregated collection 55% -4,50-5,50

8 Comparison of alternative scenarios with respect to abiotic resources consumption(generic italian case study) Abiotic resources savings and sensitivity analysis: importance of real data 1A Landfill 1B TT 1C MBT+TT 1D Cem Kiln 1E TT+EnOW kg Antimony eq. x a powerfull INDICATOR bio-degradable wastes to landfill (t/y) 1A Landfill 1B TT 1C MBT+TT 1D Cem Kiln 1E TT+En S

9 Comparison of alternative scenarios with respect to abiotic resources consumption Abiotic resources savings : sensitivity analysis 1A Disc 1B TT 1C MBT+TT 1D Cemen 1E TT+EnSO kg Antimio eq. x MB T consumptiondependson howthe single processesare assembledand increaseswiththe degree of wastes separation: real data are needed kg antimonio eq SC 1C -Consumption of each plant

10 MAIN TECHNICAL CONCLUSIONS from the analysisofthe ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCES of integrated WM systems Planning should not ignore the relevance of thermodynamics: flows of matter and energy are inseparable better harness them together. Several life cycle studies been proven that an integrated waste management system, designed to avoid exporting environmental impacts outside of its boundaries, improves its environmental performance when MATERIAL RECOVERY and ENERGY RECOVERY are well integrated. Both RECOVERIES have a role to play in reducing climate change emissions, material consumption and acid emissions. Practicing recycling as an opposition to incineration, therefore to energy recovery, it is a consequence of a dated risk perception and it does not necessarily increases the environmental benefits. It hinders advancing the risk representation to the new HAZARDS, which are also highly loaded with global fairness issues.

11 2nd tool -Analysis of waste, energy and C sinks FLOWS: plan WM at the optimal scale (regional dimension) and integrate with local territory and production specificities When scale of planning and assessment is too small environmental impacts are simply going to fall on someone else: need regional scale (minimum 2M people). only the analysis of INTEGRATED flows allow to define correctly which plants are needed OR redundant: type, capacity, number, loca tion. RIFIUTI URBANI RIFIUTI SPECIALI ASSIMILATI Residual waste RESIDUI INDIFFERENZIATI TRASPORTO A PORTA A PORTA TRATTAMENTO TERMICO Residual waste RESIDUI INDIFFERENZIATI PROSSIMITA'/STRADALE RD PORTA A PORTA RD PROSSIMITA' TRASPORTO PRIVATO E PUBBLICO SCARTI ALIMENTARI SCARTI VEGETALI RD A PRIMA PULIZIA RD A PRIMA PULIZIA CENTRI di A PRIMA PULIZIA RACCOLTA TRASPORTO A TRATTAMENTO TERMICO IMPIANTI DI PRIMA PULIZIA A COMPOSTAGGIO IMPIANTO COMPOSTAGGIO A DIGESTIONE ANAEROBICA Thermaltreatment of residual wastes A IMPIANTI DI IMPIANTI DI SELEZIONE SELEZIONE COMPOST Anaerobic digestion DIGESTIONE ANAEROBICA TRATTAMENTO TERMICO RIFIUTI INDIFFERENZIATI Selectionand cleaning plants Compost Use SCARTI AL RECUPERO VETRO CARTA FE e non-fe RECUPERO NON-FERROSI NON-FERROSI FERROSI SCORIE CENERI A DISCARICA VETRO CARTA FE e non-fe RECUPERO FERROSI OTHER RECUPERO SCORIE TRASPORTO PLASTICA PLASTICA INTERNAZIONALE DISCARICA PERICOLOSI DISCARICA SCARTI ENERGIA ENERGIA DA SCARTI VEGETALI CENERI SCARTI A DISCARICA

12 2nd tool -Analysis of waste, energy and C sinks flows: Opportunities and Constraints MAPS for recovery of materials and energy Wastes are viewed as a form of scrap carbon (partly renewable). Regional sources (flows) are geo-referenced and spatially matched to existing or planned sinks. Map flows and/or location of: Advantage West Midlands The Regional Approach to Landfill Diversion Infrastructure Appendices 2009

13 3 rd tool: Understanding social and political context in WM and risk perception With BATs, hazard from thermal treatment plants is below acceptable levels; but in some Countries opposition to incinerators is still an issue, no matter emission data. 76% of European citizens state that environmental change has a significant impact on their daily lives. SpecialEurobarometer. 365 Report August 2011 Average numbers do not mean much: perception of the effect of environmental problems is highest in Countries that least act to solve problems and less intense in those Countries whose citizens are convinced the Government is doing enough. Riskperceptionisstronglyaffectedbythe social and politicalcontext: low trust in policy makers, in control agencies, stirs outrage.

14 The Actors Network Theory (ANT) acknowledges the complexity of a WM system (actors are human and non-human)and the difference in power of the actors taking side in conflicts. This description facilitates in selecting relevant actors and in setting the discussion with the aimtomovetowardsacommonly agreed solution - at least commonly discussed. From No Meeting of Minds? Power Relations, Contested Science and Stakeholder Engagement in the Planning System of England and Wales. Progress in Planning, 2012.

15 OBSERVATIONS to support the moving forward of WM planning These planning tools are proposed because it is time for WM to move to confronting current problems, where new technologies have to be consolidated, global fairness considered and natural resources protected: reducing waste is achieved mainly by modifying consumption and products re-design, an issue that has to be addressed directly (wastes reduction was achieved only by the economic downturn) and it cannot be achieved by recycling; moving the current risk representation of WM toward a more modern vision is essentially an exercise of community building: all actors have to be involved in the discussion; non-technical issues may bring knowledge about the local aspects of the problem that WM-experts may not have fully and open mindedly considered.

16 OBSERVATIONS to support the moving forward of WM planning consider in detail the characteristics of the region and look for opportunities/constraints solutions to optimise materials and energies recoveries from wastes; give technological treatments to technological wastes: safe recovery at european scale of precious metals from WEEE; strengthen illegal trafficking controls, also of recyclable material (dirty asclean)anddealathomewithendoflifevehiclesandweee; increase efficiency and flexibility of energy recovery from wastes, including organic wastes: adopting a range of technologies and integrate large and small, self-consumption, energy production/distribution scales;

17 RECCOMENDATIONS to support the moving forward in WM planning assess the role of materials flows and energies recovery from all wastes at the national scale by formulating realistic scenarios and including the whole waste management system in green-economy policies; fully consider the relevance of organic waste in the recovery of phosphorous: peak year is nearing ship dismantling: develop recovery programs in industrialized countries and control operations in emerging or poor economies.

18 BIBLIOGRAPHY (partial) S. Tunesi, The development of waste management infrastructure in England: public governance not personal guilt. Environment Policy Report 2010, UCL Environment Institute. S. Tunesi, 2012 Ottimizzare la gestione rifiuti con l LCA del sistema integrato. Parte II: Analisi di sensitività. Rifiuti Solidi, vol. XXVI, 5, 317 S. Tunesi, 2012 Ottimizzare la gestione rifiuti con l LCA del sistema integrato: risultati di un caso italiano. I Parte. Rifiuti Solidi, vol. XXVI,4, 210. S.Tunesi,2011.'LCAoflocalstrategiesfortherecoveryofenergyfromwasteinEngland,applied to a large municipal flow'. Waste Management, 31, 3. S. Tunesi, 2011."Analisi della strategia di gestione rifiuti in Inghilterra", Rifiuti Solidi, Gentil E.C. et al Models for waste LCA: Review of technical assumptions. Waste Management, 30, Arena U. et al. The environmental performance of alternative solid WM options: LCA study. 2003, Chem. Eng. Journal 96, 207. Consonni S. et al Material and Energy recovery in integrated WM systems: Project overview and main results. Waste Management, 31, (E altri articoli della serie.) Rigamonti L. et al Bilancio ambientale su generazione e destinazione di flussi di materia da raccolta differenziata RSU in provincia di Reggio Emilia. Seminario. Politecnico di Milano.

19 Dr. Simonetta Tunesi Strategic Environmental Consulting Sustainability, Natural Resources Protection, Waste Management Honorary Research Fellow Honorary Research Fellow UCL Environment Institute Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT UK