4. Conclusions
The management of MSW depends on many parameters and a decision
must be taken after an adequate preliminary study based on MSW composition,
selective collection implementation and also on the existing industrial plants. The
present paper shows a method useful for supporting decision makers comparing
two different scenarios of waste management and energy conversion.
The MSW bio-drying seems a suitable solution for scenarios were the food
waste percentage is high, but post-refining are requested for a better LHV in order
to better its characteristics before energy conversion. Also the mixing of MSW
with other waste fractions that have higher LHV could be a viable solution.
The pre-treatment processes decrease landfill need, because in this case
only the residues will be landfilled. The use of biogas produced from the
sustainable landfilling for electricity production can give advantages to the
environmental balance.
For the first scenario landfilling volumes needs are different for the both
solutions (bio-drying and bio-stabilization) because of the amounts of residues
resulting from different steps; instead the environmental consequences are similar.
For the first scenario the environmental consequences are not worrying
thanks to the use of BAT for the flue gas cleaning systems. Also the energetic
recovery is good.
From the obtained results, the most suitable option for Romania seems to
be the use of MBT with bio-drying process, because of the higher flexibility in
producing energy, the lower environmental impact and the viable cost of
operation. The use of SRF in a large thermal power plant as substitute of coal can
give interesting balances in terms of mass and energy, but must be studied in
details referring to the local impact of the plants burning SRF.
All the studied scenarios take into account the Waste Framework
Directive, regarding the decrease of landfilling, in particular for biodegradable
waste and the increase on material and energy recovery.
The final choice for the best solution for Romania must take into account
also the local availability of industrial plants suitable for SRF because it is not
reasonable to use it if it must be transported for a very long distance.