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Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Sustainability Index in Waste-to-Energy Conversion Scenarios Using System Dynamics Modeling
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering, Resources, Energy and Infrastructure. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran; Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100, 44, Sweden.
Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Sustainable development, Environmental science and Engineering, Resources, Energy and Infrastructure.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2459-0311
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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2025 (English)In: Energies, E-ISSN 1996-1073, Vol. 18, no 9, article id 2346Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study aims to evaluate various waste-to-energy conversion scenarios in terms of their potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve sustainability based on economic and environmental outcomes. To achieve this, a comprehensive waste management model was developed using the system dynamics approach in the Vensim software to predict waste generation and composition and compare pyrolysis, incineration, gasification, and sanitary landfill scenarios with the baseline scenario over 25 years (2025–2050). The analysis of different waste management scenarios highlights the superior performance of pyrolysis in terms of energy recovery, economic profit, GHG emissions reduction, environmental outcomes, and long-term sustainability. Results show that the pyrolysis scenario generates the highest electricity, with a cumulative net electricity output of 10,469 GWh. Although pyrolysis has GHG emissions due to energy consumption and direct process emissions, it results in the largest net reduction in GHG emissions, primarily due to avoided emissions from increased electricity generation, leading to a 346% reduction compared to the baseline scenario. Furthermore, the pyrolysis scenario demonstrates the highest economic profit at 354 million USD and the highest sustainability index (SI) at 499 million USD. The cumulative SI from 2025 to 2050 shows a 503% increase compared to the business-as-usual scenario, highlighting its superior sustainability performance. This study highlights the importance of strategic waste-to-energy planning in reducing GHG emissions and promoting sustainability. It also offers valuable insights for policymakers and researchers, supporting the development of sustainable waste management strategies and effective efforts for climate change mitigation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI AG , 2025. Vol. 18, no 9, article id 2346
Keywords [en]
climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, sustainability index (SI), system dynamics modeling, waste-to-energy (WtE)
National Category
Energy Engineering Environmental Sciences Environmental Management Energy Systems
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-363787DOI: 10.3390/en18092346ISI: 001486357000001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105004858454OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-363787DiVA, id: diva2:1959883
Note

QC 20250528

Available from: 2025-05-21 Created: 2025-05-21 Last updated: 2025-07-01Bibliographically approved

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Shahbazi, AliSinha, RajibAzizi, Shoaib

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