Autor no autoriza el acceso a texto completo de su documento hasta el 16/4/2020. / Magíster en Gestión para la Globalización / Esta tesis desarrolla un plan de negocios para la creación de una agencia de organización de matrimonios en el extranjero, negocio que nace de la tendencia en Estados Unidos y Europa por la realización de este tipo de matrimonios y el aumento de los costos de celebración de matrimonios en Chile. El plan de negocios considera una evaluación del mercado y la industria en Chile, una estrategia del negocio e internacionalización, junto al plan de operaciones y financiero de la empresa. Se realizó una selección metodológica de los países en los cuales deberían estar los hoteles para realizar una alianza o asociación, basado en las salidas de chilenos a los países en evaluación, el índice de percepción de la corrupción, el índice de competitividad de viajes y turismo y la oferta hotelera contrastada con la ocupación hotelera, quedando seleccionados México y República Dominicana, como países idóneos para establecer las relaciones comerciales. Para analizar el potencial mercado chileno se realizó una investigación de mercado consistente en una encuesta online y dos set de encuestas presenciales focalizadas. Con estos estudios se lograron levantar preferencias e intereses relacionados a la celebración de matrimonios, algunos de éstos fueron la preferencia por viajes al Caribe, la inclinación por una celebración de matrimonio en una playa, la disposición a invitar entre 100 y 300 personas y las fechas preferidas de los chilenos para casarse, en general aquellas relacionadas al buen clima local. Luego de un extendido análisis de la oferta, infraestructura y tamaños de los hoteles con los cuales se podría realizar una asociación, se decidió optar por los Hoteles&Resorts Barceló para realizar una alianza estratégica de exclusividad de venta de matrimonios, tipo de asociación evaluada como óptima dentro de las alternativas, para permitir el desarrollo de actividades de colaboración entre ambos dejando abierta la puerta para la apertura de nuevas sucursales en caso de que la alianza resulte fructífera. En la definición del producto se describe una estrategia servicio reducida en oferta para comenzar y poder asegurar la calidad de los servicios ofrecidos. En el análisis de mercado y la industria fue posible validar ciertos riesgos respecto a los potenciales competidores actuales que podrían entrar en acción ofreciendo paquetes de matrimonios que se espera amortiguar al presentar un servicio focalizado en el target objetivo siendo la agencia pionera en el mercado de matrimonios en el extranjero. El resultado financiero de la empresa se evaluó como rentable, con una TIR del 35% y un VAN de 115 millones de pesos con payback en el año 3 de operación. Se realizó un análisis de sensibilización bajo supuestos de variación de los costos e ingresos, presentándose una mayor baja de la TIR al variar los ingresos.

Previous studies from laboratory experiments and a similar process at a plant in Switzerland, led to the pilot plant project at Renova AB, which will be described in this master thesis. In cooperation with Götaverken Miljö AB it was investigated if fly ash, produced at the Renova Waste-to-Energy plant in Gothenburg, could be treated with own scrubber liquids in order to recover zinc. If successful, Renova might build this tested pilot process in to a big scale. The pilot plant has a scale of 16 times smaller than a future big scale process. The goal of the project is to leach zinc from fly ash and gain a fly ash residue, which is classified as non-hazardous waste. The filtrate from the leaching campaign is treated so that the containing zinc is recovered. The zinc cake end product shall has a quality so that it can be sold to other industries or upgraded to high purity zinc metal. The evaluation of the experiments showed that the pilot plant process was successful. It was possible to leach out zinc by a maximum quote of 74%. The total recovery of zinc could be achieved by a maximum of 72%. The final zinc cake product was achieved through a precipitation and filtration campaign. This thesis evaluates, which process set-ups for zinc recovery through leaching and precipitation & filtration are the best and can be recommended for a big scale process. In addition, it briefly analyses the zinc product quality. Future studies will be necessary within: cost analysis of the process, zinc product quality and an analysis of the ash residue.

The submitted Master Thesis deals with the technological/mechanical solution of an up-to-date medium capacity waste-to-energy plant. Operational requirements and basic parameters related to a concrete region are specified in the introduction of the Thesis. This is supplemented by a flow-sheet of the plant with the description of main process subsystems. To meet the goals of the Thesis basic balance information is summarized and related schemes included. These data represent principal inputs for the on-site plant as well as basic parameters for the design of key equipment. These pieces of equipment are schematically drawn including their basic parameters and a description of construction. All the available innovative solutions are taken into account. The Thesis provides also a technical-economic analysis for being able to evaluate the overall project.

Main principle of the thesis is to create technical-economic model of municipal waste-to-energy plant. This model is suitable for different technical parameters of various incinerators and there is not necessary to create new model for each new incinerator. The model also includes basic economic aspects of technology and service of the municipal waste incinerator. The importance of municipal waste incinerator construction, their current situation and planned future in Czech Republic are also mentioned in the thesis.

This research analyzed environmental and economic factors associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) management of select high growth Planning District Commissions (PDCs) of Virginia. Current MSW management scenarios were compared to future hypothetical scenarios utilizing a regional landfill or waste-to-energy (WTE) combustion facility. Life-cycle inventory and full cost accounting methods of the Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), were utilized to estimate annualized environmental emissions and economic costs. Model results and analysis indicate that a regional landfill would be the least cost intensive MSW management strategy in comparison to current management methods; however present the greatest environmental burden with respect to methane emissions. It was also inferred that a WTE facility would represent the least environmental burden with respect to energy offsets via MSW combustion while being the most cost intensive option. The study supports the anecdotal view that a regional-based approach to MSW management of high-growth PDCs would help reduce costs and potential environmental impacts.

In Canadian remote northern communities most electricity is generated by burning diesel fuel. However, because it is expensive to import fuel into remote communities the cost of electricity is very high. Waste management is also difficult in remote northern communities. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the co-gasification of refuse waste materials and biomass as a means of reducing solid waste volumes while also using locally available materials for power generation. As part of this research, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) was investigated as a potential means of characterizing refuse derived fuels (RDF). Laboratory sample preparation of RDF for TGA had not been thoroughly considered. Laboratory sample preparation is important since RDF is very heterogeneous compared to other solid fuels and since TGA typically requires a very small sample size. A TGA method was applied to a variety of materials prepared from a commercially available RDF using a variety of procedures. The repeatability of the experimental results was related to the sample preparation methods. Cryogenic ball milling was found to be an appropriate means of preparing RDF samples for TGA. Applicability of the TGA method to the determination of the renewable content of RDF was considered. Air-blown auto-thermal gasification experiments using materials representative of waste and biomass were performed at 725°C, 800°C, and 875°C, using a 0.15 m internal diameter bubbling fluidized bed gasifier located at NRCan CametENERGY in Ottawa, Ontario. Commercially prepared RDF and PET scrap were used to represent waste materials. Commercially produced hardwood pellets were used to represent biomass. The co-gasification of hardwood pellets and commercially produced RDF indicated that each fuel make a contribution to the results which is proportional to its fraction in the feed mixture. Inclusion of the RDF in the fuel mixture led to bed agglomeration at the 875°C temperature condition. Higher temperatures were found to provide better conversion of the fuel to gas, and the limitation which inclusion of RDF places on the operating temperature of the gasifier negatively affects conversion of biomass. Results obtained with RDF suggested that utilization of mixed waste for a thermal conversion process located in a Canadian remote northern community is probably not a viable option. It was then decided to target plastic waste in particular. Plastic could be source-separated, collected, and gasified alongside biomass. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is often used for food and beverage containers, was chosen to represent plastic. Initially, attempts were made to co-gasify mixtures of PET pellets and hardwood pellets. These attempts failed due to the formation of coke above the bed. To alleviate these problems hardwood-PET composite pellets were manufactured and these were gasified at 725°C, 800°C, and 875°C. Inclusion of PET in the pellets dramatically increased the amount of tar produced during gasification.

Waste-to-Energy incineration (WtE), coupled with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), especially Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), suggest a way to simultaneously retrieve energy from the otherwise disposed waste and reduce CO2 emissions. Independent of one another, WtE, CCS, and BECCS are implemented in a few regions of the world, but their joint diffusion is uncommon in comparison. Regardless of how the future of their combined implementation unfolds, social acceptance is almost certainly expected to play a role in their diffusion. This thesis categorically identified overlaps and contrasts between factors that have been subjects of investigation in public acceptance research on WtE and CCS/BECCS’s social acceptance using Huijts et al’s (2012) energy technology acceptance framework. To allocate peer-reviewed international literature from the two fields for analysis, a systematic literature review was conducted. The results revealed that WtE and CCS/BECCS studies most commonly measured the public’s wide array of emotional experiences regarding the respective technologies and addressed their knowledge and experience with the technologies to the smallest degree. Energy technology projects are bound to attract emotionally charged responses, thus the commonality to address affect makes probing for emotional responses possible. Whereas knowledge can be difficult to measure due to its subjectivity. Factors that were commonly measured in one field but not in the other included public perceptions of fairness, trust, and climate change. The findings provided a comprehensive overview of factors to take into consideration when collecting public opinions on a WtE incineration facility that is coupled with CCS technology.

The use of Renewable Energy (RE) has considerably increased in the last several years. Innovative forms of sustainable alternative energy production, such as solar and wind, have now become recognized energy sources. Following suit, this paper has reviewed Waste-to-Energy (WtE), an innovative and evolving form of RE, and its possible adoption in Nigeria to address both the energy crisis and the pollution problem. The theoretical framework of this paper utilizes the genesis of Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) theory of reasoned action (TRA), expanding on renewable energy studies using TRA such as Bang, Ellinger, Hadimarcou, and Traichal (2000) Mishra, Akman, & Mishra (2014), and the leadership-led change framework (Andrews, McConnell, & Wescott, 2010) in order to explain leaders’ behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Four factors act as antecedents to the formation of attitudes and subjective norms about WtE, which then impact intentions to adopt WtE. Intentions then become a predictor of behavior for adopting WtE in Nigeria as a solution for energy and pollution issues. Combining these two theoretical frameworks allows us to study leader’s behavioral intentions and the behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Leadership-led change was examined as a moderator in the relationship between intention and behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Results showed that leadership-led construct did not have a statistically significant moderating effect. This led to a post-hoc analysis of leadership-led as a mediator, which showed leadership-led had a partial statistically significant mediating effect between leaders’ attitudes and intention to adopt WtE.

Fossil fuel depletion, economic development, urban expansion and climate change present tough challenges to municipal- and regional-scale energy systems. Regional energy system planning, including waste treatment, renewable energy supply, energy efficiency, and climate change, are considered essential to meet these challenges and move toward a sustainable society. This thesis includes studies on energy system from municipal waste, potential for a fossil fuel-independent regional energy system with increased renewable energy products using waste as one of energy sources, and the performance of biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plants. A top-down method is adopted to organize the studies, from national waste-to-energy (WtE) scenarios to individual energy plants. The first study considers the overall potential contribution of WtE to energy supply and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation in Sweden until 2050 under several different scenarios. Depending on WtE scenario considered, the study shows that WtE can supply energy between 38 and 186 TWh and mitigate between CO2 of 1 and 12 Mt per year by 2050 based on the baseline of year 2010. At a regional level, static and dynamic optimization models with a focus on WtE are developed for two regions in Sweden and Finland. The former is used to investigate the possibilities of optimal positioning of new energy plants, retrofitting existing energy plants and planting energy crops. The latter case study is on regional heat and power production using biogas generated from agricultural and livestock wastes. Centralized biogas production units perform better than distributed production regarding energy and carbon balance though the net energy output is negligible. However, a significant GHG emission can be reduced compared to the present status. Retrofitting existing conventional CHP plants is another option for improving regional energy system. The study shows that integrating heat-demanded processes such as drying, bioethanol and pellet production with existing CHP plants can improve overall energy efficiency and power output, increase annual operation time and reduce production cost as well as mitigate GHG emissions.  It is recommended that building new WtE/energy plants at optimum sites, upgrading the existing energy plants, expanding the agricultural/forestry waste/residues output (biomass) and planting more energy crops shall be taken into considerations for the future regional energy systems. / Utarmning av fossila bränslekällor, ekonomisk utveckling, städernas utbredning och klimatförändring är svåra utmaningar för kommunala- och regionala energisystem. Planering av det regionala energisystemet, inklusive avfallshantering, förnyelsebara energikällor, energieffektivisering och hänsyn till klimatförändringar, anses avgörande för att möta dessa utmaningar och gå mot ett hållbart samhälle. Denna avhandling innehåller studier av energisystem centrerad kring hushållsavfall, potentialet för fossilbränslefria regionala energisystem som utnyttjar ökad andel förnyelsebara energiprodukter med avfall som en energikälla och prestandautvärdering av ett biomassa-eldat kraftvärmeverk. Studierna har organiserats efter storlek på system, från nationella avfall-till-energi scenarier till enskilda kraftverk.   Den första studien behandlar övergripande möjligheten att genom avfall-till-energi bidra till energiförsörjningen och begränsa utsläppet av växthusgaser i Sverige till 2050 under flera olika scenarier. Beroendet på avfall-till-energiscenario visar studien att genom att utnyttja avfall kan mellan 38 och 186 TWh energi levereras och dessutom kan koldioxidutsläppen reduceras med 1-12 miljoner ton till år 2050 med 2010 som basår.   På den regionala nivån, statiska och dynamiska optimeringsmodeller, med fokus på avfall-till-energi, är utvecklats för två regioner, en i Sverige och en i Finland. Det första modellen används för hitta den optimala placeringen av nya energianläggningar, anpassning av befintliga anläggningar och placering av odlingar av energigrödor. Den senare ingår i en fallstudie av den regionala kraft- och värmeproduktionen genom utnyttjande av biogas producerad från jordbruksavfall och djurgödsel. Centraliserade biogasanläggningar presterar bättre än decentraliserad anläggningar när det gäller energi – och kolbalanser även om i båda fallen så är skillnaden mellan konsumerad mängd bränsle, värme och el och producerad värme och el försumbar. Däremot kan en betydande mängd av växthusgasutsläppet i båda fallen undvikas jämfört med nuläget.   Anpassning av befintliga konventionella kraftvärmeverk är ett annat alternativ för att förbättra det regionala energisystemet. Studien visar att genom att integrera värmekrävande processer såsom torkning, bioetanol- och pelletsproduktion med befintliga kraftvärmeverk kan den totala energieffektiviten och uteffekten förbättras, öka den årliga drifftiden och minska produktionskostnaderna och utsläppen av växthusgaser.   Rekommendationen är att för de framtida regionala energisystemen överväga att bygga nya avfall-till-energianläggningar med optimal placering, uppgradera befintliga energianläggningar utöka insamlandet av avfall/restprodukter från jord- och skogbruk och plantera mer energigrödor.

Landfill leachate is generated as a result of reactions between water percolating through the landfill and wastes. Under normal conditions leachate is found at the bottom of landfills and from there, its movement can be controlled with collection systems to be treated, discharged, or recirculated. Landfill leachate collection systems are positioned above the liner and are designed to collect liquid under gravitational flow for the entire active, closure, and post-closure periods. Clogging of any portion of the system can lead to higher hydraulic heads and increase the potential for leakage through the liner. To reduce the quantity of municipal solid wastes (MSW) requiring landfilling, many municipalities have adopted waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities that yield energy in the form of combustible gases and noncombustible residues. Disposal practices for WTE residuals include landfilling in monofills or co-disposal with MSW and other materials such as residues from water and wastewater treatment facilities. There has been concern about co-disposal practices, because the impacts on leachate quality and waste interactions are not well known yet. This research was conducted to evaluate clogging of leachate collection systems due to co-disposal of MSW and combustion residues from WTE facilities. The use of laboratory lysimeters in conjunction with batch tests to predict short-term and long-term leaching characteristics of noncombustible residues from WTE facilities was also evaluated. Laboratory lysimeters were used to simulate monofills (WTE residues and MSW) and co-disposal practices. Relationships between waste composition and leachate quality were evaluated over a seven month period.