Department of Engineering and Technology, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Espírito Santo, Brazil.
J Environ Manage. 2021 Jun 15;288:112401. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112401. Epub 2021 Mar 26.
The cement industry has been under pressure due to the environmental impact of high cement production, which demands a significant amount of energy and results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In many developed countries, the cement industry has sought to replace conventional fossil fuels with alternatives to minimize GHG emissions; however, Brazil has underexploited this possibility. Considering the potential of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to reduce the non-recycled waste disposed in landfills, and its suitable performance as an alternative fuel for cleaner cement production, this paper presents a reverse logistics network analysis for RDF production planning with respect to local economic incentives, social euqity and justice, pollution prevention, and global environmental concerns regarding carbon emissions reduction. The reverse logistics network involves important stakeholders related in waste management in Espirito Santo, Brazil, especially harmonizing social sustainability concerns between waste pickers' cooperatives and waste retailers. By considering the waste generated in 78 municipalities in the Espírito Santo state, the possible levels of fuel replacement in cement industries reflects the economic sustainability of the timeframe of the solid waste management policy implementation. The results showed that the RDF to be produced varies from 42,446.5 tonnes in 2024 with a small fuel replacement by cement industries, to 567,092.1 tonnes in 2040 if all non-recyclable waste available can be used to produce RDF. The avoided annual disposal costs via this network analysis vary from $3,855,412.0 in the initial years to $47,822,876.8 in the year 2040 under optimistic conditions, representing around 25% of the total cost in the network. The cost and GHG emitted reduced significantly in all simulated scenarios; however, the financial incentives are essential for achieving the network social sustainability.
水泥行业由于高水泥生产的环境影响而面临压力，高水泥生产需要大量能源，并导致温室气体（GHG）排放。在许多发达国家，水泥行业一直在寻求用替代品替代传统的化石燃料，以尽量减少 GHG 排放；然而，巴西尚未充分利用这一可能性。考虑到垃圾衍生燃料（RDF）在减少垃圾填埋场中未回收废物方面的潜力，以及其作为更清洁的水泥生产替代燃料的合适性能，本文提出了一种考虑当地经济激励、社会公平与正义、污染预防以及全球对减少碳排放的环境关注的 RDF 生产规划的反向物流网络分析。反向物流网络涉及巴西 Espirito Santo 地区与废物管理有关的重要利益相关者，特别是协调废物拾荒者合作社和废物零售商之间的社会可持续性问题。通过考虑 Espirito Santo 州 78 个城市产生的废物，水泥行业可能的燃料替代水平反映了固体废物管理政策实施的时间框架的经济可持续性。结果表明，2024 年，RDF 的产量将从 42446.5 吨到 2040 年的 567092.1 吨不等，这取决于是否可以利用所有可利用的不可回收废物来生产 RDF。通过该网络分析避免的年度处置成本从初始年份的 3855412.0 美元到乐观情况下 2040 年的 47822876.8 美元不等，占网络总成本的约 25%。所有模拟情景下的成本和 GHG 排放都显著减少；然而，实现网络社会可持续性需要财务激励。
