Use of Statistical Entropy and Life Cycle Analysis to Evaluate Global Warming Potential of Waste Management Systems
The statistical entropy (SE) function has been applied to waste treatment systems to account for dilution or concentration effects on metals. We later extended it to account for carbon flows, especially in waste management systems involving thermal treatment.
by Scott Kaufman, Eilhann Kwon, Nikhil Krishnan, Marco Castaldi, Nickolas J. Themelis
Now, a simple lifecycle "net energyā€¯ metric ā€“ encompassing the "lost energyā€¯ that would have been gained when high-calorific materials are landfilled rather than combusted with energy recovery ā€“ is introduced to account for additional influxes of carbon when using landfilling as the primary disposal method. When combining net energy calculations and long terms effects of landfilling, waste to energy (WTE) becomes a more attractive
option for dealing with non-recycled municipal solid waste (MSW). A greenhouse gasforcing factor is also introduced to account for the entropy generating effects of methane. When incorporating forcing and lost energy, WTE performs notably better than landfills
with respect to entropy generation and carbon.
Get full article here [external link]option for dealing with non-recycled municipal solid waste (MSW). A greenhouse gasforcing factor is also introduced to account for the entropy generating effects of methane. When incorporating forcing and lost energy, WTE performs notably better than landfills
with respect to entropy generation and carbon.
published: Earth Engineering Center (EEC) of Columbia University, 5|2008
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