Cleaner Chemical Engineering (Dec 2025)
Energy, economic, and environmental analysis of a waste-to-energy-to-zero system
Abstract
This study presents a new waste-to-energy-to-zero management under the energy, economic, and environmental implications. The survey data implies a total municipal solid waste (MSW) generation of 17.85 Ton/d. The proportions of combustible waste, noncombustible waste, and organic waste are 31.63%, 35.24%, and 33.13%, respectively. Combustion heat is utilized to fuel a combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system. A power output is generated with a two-stage organic Rankine cycle (ORC) of 55.57 kWe, a cooling process in an absorption chiller of 91.06 kW, and a heating process in a drying room of 207.39 kW. A total energy output of 306.98 kW and an energy efficiency of 22.38% are simulated in the waste CCHP system. The solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system produced 2,755.62 kWh/d of power generation at a maximum efficiency of 16.28%. A waste-to-energy system has a net power output of 2,823.86 kWh/d at an overall efficiency of 18.34%. Concrete, copper, steel, and gypsum materials significantly influence all midpoint impact categories in the LCA. The main LCA is 6.01E-02 kg CO2 eq/kWh for climate change, 5.04E-02 kg 1,4-DB eq/kWh for human toxicity, and 1.74E-02 kg Fe eq/kWh for mineral resource depletion. A levelized energy cost (LEnC) of 0.15 USD/kWh, a net present value (NPV) of 1,634,658.51 USD, a profitability index (PI) of 1.72, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 7.97%, and a payback period (PB) of 9.63 y are achieved for economic impact. A waste-to-zero method presents a waste ash concrete block of 7.50 kg, with a size of 39 cm × 19 cm × 7 cm, developed under the Thai Industrial Standard (TIS) 58–2533.
