Technical, Economic, and Environmental Evaluation of Waste-to-Energy Systems toward Sustainability

The increasing generation of municipal solid waste, the depletion of fossil energy resources, and the environmental consequences of landfilling have intensified the need for innovative and sustainable waste management solutions. In this context, Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies have emerged as a key approach to achieving sustainable development objectives. This study aims to evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental performance of various WtE technologies within the framework of sustainable development. An integrated analytical approach combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was applied to four major WtE technologies, including incineration with energy recovery, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and pyrolysis. Data were collected from official sources, field studies, and international databases and standardized per functional unit of "one ton of waste input." The results indicate that implementing WtE systems can significantly reduce the amount of landfilled waste and greenhouse gas emissions while contributing to renewable energy generation and decreased reliance on fossil fuels. From an economic perspective, the incineration and anaerobic digestion scenarios demonstrated the highest Net Present Value (NPV) and positive Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Sensitivity analysis revealed that investment costs and discount rates exert the greatest influence on project feasibility. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations showed that variations in energy prices and operating costs can produce a wide range of possible outcomes, highlighting the importance of accounting for uncertainty in economic assessments. Overall, the findings confirm that adopting WtE technologies not only mitigates environmental impacts but also offers long-term economic viability, presenting a practical and effective pathway toward achieving sustainable and integrated municipal waste management in the country.

کلیدواژه ها:

Municipal Waste Management ، Waste-to-Energy ، Life Cycle Assessment ، Cost-Benefit Analysis ، Sustainable Development ، Environmental Pollution