Optimal municipal solid waste energy recovery and management: A mathematical programming approach

•A Mixed-Integer programming model was developed to attain an optimal solution to the MSW management.•The model allocates the various types and amounts of wastes to different processes (recycling, composting and landfilling).•An LFG-to-energy system is designed by considering the dynamic behavior of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers & chemical engineering 2018-11, Vol.119, p.394-405
Main Authors: Garibay-Rodriguez, Jaime, Laguna-Martinez, Maria G., Rico-Ramirez, Vicente, Botello-Alvarez, Jose E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Landfill gas utilization
LFG-to-energy
Mathematical programming
Modeling
Municipal solid waste management
Optimization
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Summary:•A Mixed-Integer programming model was developed to attain an optimal solution to the MSW management.•The model allocates the various types and amounts of wastes to different processes (recycling, composting and landfilling).•An LFG-to-energy system is designed by considering the dynamic behavior of the LFG generation in the landfill.•The model is applied to a case study in a municipality in Mexico.•Results confirm that LFG used to produce electricity reduces the economic burden of MSW management. A multi-period approach to municipal solid waste (MSW) management is proposed. The analysis includes the optimization of a MSW network considering waste reduction processes and landfilling. The optimization of the transportation of MSW to its potential destinations has been addressed using a direct-hauling system and an optimally allocated off-municipality transfer station. As the main component in the formulation, an optimal landfill gas (LFG) to energy design is obtained to improve the economics of the landfill operation; the design involves the installation of several harnessing technologies according to the annual increase or decay of the LFG flow rate. A case-study for a municipality in Mexico has been solved through the GAMS® modeling environment. The resulting mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model has been assessed through several scenarios. The results show that the installation of an LFG-to-electricity system and a materials recycling facility achieve the minimum overall cost of the MSW management.
ISSN:0098-1354
1873-4375
DOI:10.1016/j.compchemeng.2018.09.025