Energy use and environmental emissions of integrated waste management system in Tehran Municipality of Iran

The aim of this study was to evaluate energy usage, environmental emissions, recycled materials quantity, and environmental pollutants in Tehran Municipality's IWM system in Iran. The system consists of six subsystems: transportation, processing and separation, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, incineration, and landfill, all of which were investigated in this research. Data was obtained from the Waste Management Organization of Tehran Municipality. The analysis indicated that energy consumption for transportation, processing, and recycling was approximately 227.02 and 271.21 GJ per 8500 tons of MSW, respectively. Various environmental impact indicators were studied using the LCA method to assess environmental emissions in Tehran's MSW recycling system, including AD, AC, EP, GWP, OLD, HT, FE, ME, TE, and PO. The results of the LCA revealed transportation as a significant hotspot in MSW recycling, with recycling paper demonstrating a decrease in adverse environmental effects. The rate of TE index release was calculated at -10.55 kg 1,4-DB eq., mainly attributed to paper recycling efforts.

Energy use and environmental emissions of integrated waste management system in Tehran Municipality of Iran Keywords:

Energy use , Life Cycle Assessment , Waste Management , Sustainability