The Municipality of Quelimane, the fourth biggest city in Mozambique, aims to apply an EcoCity concept in the city. Therefore, the municipality initiated a waste-to-energy project in order to improve the lacking waste management, valorize resources and lessen the burden on the environment. The purpose of the current project was to investigate the potential for implementing a waste-to-energy system in Quelimane. In particular, the technology of anaerobic digestion. This technology had been identified as the best alternative based on local conditions according to a study performed by students at KTH, the municipality of Quelimane and GreenLight about waste-to-energy in Quelimane the spring of 2015. The present project was performed during eight weeks in Mozambique; five weeks in the capital Maputo and three weeks on-site in Quelimane, where the collection of data mainly was made in Quelimane. The gathered information resulted in a model for a small scale anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane. An assessment of the potential for an implementation of an anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane was determined using a feasibility assessment tool. The study was performed using the following methods: literature study, interviews, surveys, on-site observations, modelling and by using a feasibility assessment tool. The analysis performed with the feasibility tool identified the socio-cultural attitude towards the technology and the willingness among the residents to use the end products as key factors for a successful implementation. The attitude towards the technology was determined as mainly positive and the willingness to use the end product high. The strong involvement and initiative from the municipality were also identified as key factors and determined as positive. The environmental, policy and legal and the technological aspects of the system are other identified key factors were mainly identified as positive according to the feasibility assessment tool. However, there is currently no end user for the small scale plant and no established funding for the project. This altogether results in a current marginally high potential for the implementation of a small scale anaerobic digestion plant, with good chances to increase the potential in the future.

This thesis is about the making of a power plant. It sheds light on how neoliberal ideas shape large public investments in sustainable energy infrastructure. It tells the story of how the City of Copenhagen decided to build what was claimed to be the greenest waste-fired power plant in the world: Copenhill. The plant was to have a ski slope at the rooftop and a chimney puffing smoke-rings. However, conflicting urban visions and rationalities led to a year-long crisis in the project’s planning phase. In the end, Copenhill was built over capacity, which today makes it difficult to match budget and costs. I combined information from internal municipal documents, interviews with decision makers and informal corridor talk to identify the driving forces behind the outcome of the crisis, and the contradictions and complexities of the case. I found that the crisis had roots in the way the public energy company ARC began to act like a private firm, with an entrepreneurial vision. ARC adopted an expansionist growth plan to build a large power plant with iconic architecture. The Copenhill project attracted local politicians wishing to brand Copenhagen as a green world city. However, the city’s Technical and Environmental Administration (TEA) was guided by a managerial vision with a strong sustainability focus. TEA’s analysis showed that there would not be enough garbage in the city to power the over-sized plant. Consequences for economy and environment were seen as potentially disastrous. Supported by city council and government, TEA tried to stop Copenhill. The clash between the two different urban visions led to the formation of two opposing coalitions with each their own rationality. The contradictions between growth rationality and green rationality caused the Copenhill Crisis. The direct intervention of the power élite in support of a growth solution short-circuited the norms of transparent public decision-making. Bowing to political pressure, TEA produced new documents saying that Copenhill would be great for economy and climate. Dark planning practices led to an outcome that was falsely presented as a compromise between green and growth strategies. It was in fact a growth solution, wrapped in green arguments that were not rational. The case study supports a key proposition in theory on the dark side of planning: that rationality is context-dependent and that the context of rationality is power. The case study adds insights to theory by showing the ways neoliberal thought merges with existing socio-economic conditions in space and time, specifically within a Nordic welfare-state context. It shows how public energy companies can face challenges, not only from neoliberal-driven privatization attempts, but also from ideas of iconicity and city marketing. The case study reaffirms the strength of a Flyvbjergian approach to understand the effects of hidden power mechanisms on planning of public energy infrastructure.

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.

Food waste has become a global environmental concern in recent years with food waste prevention being the optimal solution. In Sweden, initiatives to reduce food waste, focus on re-using methods like selling or donating food. The purpose of this study is to analyze the environmental savings, in terms of CO2 eq. savings, of re-using food compared to incineration and anaerobic digestion in Sweden. The study aims to map out the processes of the food waste management system and investigate the parameters that effect the performance of each method using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The research is conducted by using a case study, “Save food at KTH” which is an initiative at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, to reduce food waste through a mobile application for sharing information on the available edible food waste around campus and options to purchase it through the app.   The results showed that re-using food waste has more CO2 savings compared to the other two energy recovery methods. Avoided emissions from food production when food waste is sold, were the most important factors that framed this result. However, the types of foods are also critical on the choice of food waste management method when the focus is on the CO2 emissions of the system. Foods with high water content or plant-based protein sources can be energy efficient in anaerobic digestion processes as well. In this case, selling food waste can be used as a complementary method. / Livsmedelsavfall har under senare år fått ett ökat intresse ur miljösynpunkt med förhindrande av livsmedelsavfall som den optimala lösningen för denna fråga. I Sverige är termiska behandlingsmetoder och biologiska processer för behandling av livsmedelsavfall de vanligaste metoderna för hantering av livsmedelsavfall. Båda metoderna producerar energi som kan användas för fjärrvärme, el och biobränsle för fordon. Å andra sidan, producerar dessa metoder utsläpp av växthusgaser (GHG) och många studier har erkänt deras miljöpåverkan och har jämfört dessa metoder för att identifiera alternativet med minst miljökostnad. Alternativet att sälja överbliven mat i plastlådor har potential att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser från livsmedelsavfallshanteringssystemet genom cirkulär ekonomi. Emellertid måste utsläppen av växthusgaser från de specifika livsmedelstypen samt effekten av plastlådors egenskaper och deras inverkan på plastlådors totala växthusgasutsläpp undersökas för att säkerställa effektiviteten av den försäljning av överbliven mat. Syftet med denna studie är att genomföra en livscykelanalys (LCA) om livsmedelsavfallshanteringsmetoder i Sverige för att identifiera metoden som har mest koldioxidbesparingar. Studiens mål är att kartlägga processerna i matavfallssystemet och undersöka de parametrar som påverkar prestandan för varje metod. Projektet innehåller en jämförande bedömning av klimatpåverkan (CF) av en värmebehandlingsmetod, förbränning med energiåtervinning, en biologisk metod som är anaerob uppslutning med biogasproduktion och en förebyggande metod som säljer överbliven mat i en plastlådor. En LCA utfördes för tre avfallshanteringsscenarier med två måltider (köttbaserad och vegan) som exempel när de behandlades som enskilda avfallsströmmar. Den största potentialen för att minska koldioxidutsläppen är att "sälja en måltid i ett 85% r-pet " scenario. Den undvikna köttproduktionen från att sälja matavfall kombinerat med den stora mängden återvunnet innehåll i plastlådor ger betydande koldioxidbesparingar och når den högsta nivån på avfallshierarkin som är förebyggande. Å andra sidan har förbränningen av en vegansk måltid med energiåtervinning den lägsta CO2-besparingen jämfört med de andra metoderna på grund av högvattenhalten i måltiden vilket gör den till en icke-effektiv energiomvandlare när den förbränns för att producera energi. Matavfallshanteringsmetoder bör därför fokusera på livsmedelsprodukterna och deras lämplighet för varje metod. Resultaten från denna jämförelse kommer att användas av en forskargrupp vid KTH Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan i Stockholm, Sverige, i SEED avdelningen. Gruppen bygger för närvarande en mobilapplikation för att dela / sälja matavfall runt KTH campus med ett samarbete från restaurangerna på campus.

The thesis outlined in this report is a pre-feasibility study of the potential to use waste-to-energy technology in the region Kutai Kartanegara, Borneo, Indonesia. The project is a collaboration between the Kutai Kartanegara government, Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences and the technology consulttancy Sweco. The current waste management system in Kutai Kartanegara consists of landfills in the cities and open burnings and dumping in the lesser developed sub-districts. This is a growing problem both environmentally and logistically. The electrification in the sub-districts is sometimes as low as 17 % and access to electricity is often limited to a couple of hours per day. The current electricity production in the region is mainly from fossil fuels. Data was collected during a two month long field study in Tenggarong, the capital of Kutai Kartanegara. From the collected data, various waste-to-energy systems and collection areas were simulated in Matlab. Results from the simulations show that a system using both a waste incineration and biogas plant would be the best solution for the region. The chosen system is designed to handle a total of 250,000 tons of waste annually, collected from Tenggarong and neighbouring districts. The system will provide between 155 and 200 GWh electricity and between 207 and 314 GWh of excess heat energy annually. Some of this is used in a district heating system with an absorption-cooling machine. The system investment cost is around 42.5 MUSD and it is expected to generate an annual profit of 16 MUSD. The recommended solution will decrease the emissions of CO2-equivalents compared to the current waste system and fossil electricity production with 50%. The results in the study clearly show that there are both economic and environmental potential for waste-to-energy technologies in the region. But the waste management and infrastructure has to be improved to be able to utilize these technologies. By implementing waste-to-energy technologies, the supplied waste can be seen as a resource instead of a problem. This would give incentives for further actions and investments regarding waste management.

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.

Duas questões da sociedade do século XXI podem ser destacadas: a grande geração de resíduos; a carência por sistemas de tratamento adequado desses resíduos; e a crescente demanda por energia. A busca por alternativas para lidar com essas questões vem mobilizando os setores público e privado no sentido de explorar soluções ainda não praticadas na maior parte do mundo em desenvolvimento. A Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS), instituída pela Lei nº 12.305/2010, estabeleceu um novo paradigma na gestão de resíduos sólidos no Brasil. Entre as mudanças apresentadas, uma das mais relevantes é a exclusividade de destinação de apenas rejeitos aos aterros sanitários, sendo os rejeitos entendidos como os resíduos que não mais apresentam possibilidade de tratamento. O cumprimento dessa lei irá requerer o estudo de alternativas de tratamento de resíduos gerados na fase anterior à sua disposição final. Entre as soluções possíveis está o seu aproveitamento energético, também previsto na PNRS. Nesse contexto, esta dissertação busca analisar duas tecnologias de tratamento de resíduos digestão anaeróbia e incineração e verificar suas respectivas viabilidades econômicas, tendo como objeto o cenário brasileiro, com foco especial no estado de São Paulo. Os resultados obtidos indicam que, respeitando-se as diretrizes da PNRS, entre os métodos de tratamento de resíduos sólidos urbanos analisadas, a digestão anaeróbia se mostrou mais viável do que a incineração para as regiões estudadas. Tais resultados tomaram como pressuposto que a PNRS é uma lei que deverá ser cumprida e exigida tal como se apresenta, e seu cumprimento implicará numa mudança significativa do modo como é feita a gestão de resíduos sólidos no país. Adicionalmente, as análises realizadas apontaram que, além dos aspectos econômicos, aspectos ambientais, sociais e culturais também são de fundamental importância na tomada de decisão por uma opção tecnológica adequada dos RSU. / Three issues of the XXI century society can be pointed out: The increasing volume of waste generation, the lack of adequate waste treatment systems and the increasing demand of energy. The search for alternatives to deal with these issues is calling the attention of both public and private agents who are engaged in exploring solutions not yet in place in most part of developing countries. The National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS), established by the Law # 12,305/2010, set a new paradigm for the solid waste management in Brazil. Amongst the proposed changes, one of the most relevance is the destination of the so-called \"rejects\" to landfill, in which \"rejects\" stands for the residues that can no longer be processed. To abide by this law will require the analysis of alternatives for treating the residues prior to their final disposal. Amongst the possible solutions, there is the utilization of residues to generate electric energy. In this context, this master\'s thesis examines the two of the most used technologies in the developed world anaerobic digestion and incineration and evaluation their economic feasibility in the Brazilian scenario, particularly in the State of São Paulo. The analysis took as an assumption that the PNRS is a law that shall be enforced as it was stated, and that its compliance will require in a significant change in the way the solid waste management is done within the country. For the regions analyzed, our results showed that, under the PNRS requirements, the anaerobic digestion appeared to be more feasible than the incineration technology. Additionally, our work also indicates that, beyond the economic aspects, other issues such as environmental, social and cultural ones are fundamental for the decision making regarding the best technology applied in urban solid waste process.

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.

Duas questões da sociedade do século XXI podem ser destacadas: a grande geração de resíduos; a carência por sistemas de tratamento adequado desses resíduos; e a crescente demanda por energia. A busca por alternativas para lidar com essas questões vem mobilizando os setores público e privado no sentido de explorar soluções ainda não praticadas na maior parte do mundo em desenvolvimento. A Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS), instituída pela Lei nº 12.305/2010, estabeleceu um novo paradigma na gestão de resíduos sólidos no Brasil. Entre as mudanças apresentadas, uma das mais relevantes é a exclusividade de destinação de apenas rejeitos aos aterros sanitários, sendo os rejeitos entendidos como os resíduos que não mais apresentam possibilidade de tratamento. O cumprimento dessa lei irá requerer o estudo de alternativas de tratamento de resíduos gerados na fase anterior à sua disposição final. Entre as soluções possíveis está o seu aproveitamento energético, também previsto na PNRS. Nesse contexto, esta dissertação busca analisar duas tecnologias de tratamento de resíduos digestão anaeróbia e incineração e verificar suas respectivas viabilidades econômicas, tendo como objeto o cenário brasileiro, com foco especial no estado de São Paulo. Os resultados obtidos indicam que, respeitando-se as diretrizes da PNRS, entre os métodos de tratamento de resíduos sólidos urbanos analisadas, a digestão anaeróbia se mostrou mais viável do que a incineração para as regiões estudadas. Tais resultados tomaram como pressuposto que a PNRS é uma lei que deverá ser cumprida e exigida tal como se apresenta, e seu cumprimento implicará numa mudança significativa do modo como é feita a gestão de resíduos sólidos no país. Adicionalmente, as análises realizadas apontaram que, além dos aspectos econômicos, aspectos ambientais, sociais e culturais também são de fundamental importância na tomada de decisão por uma opção tecnológica adequada dos RSU. / Three issues of the XXI century society can be pointed out: The increasing volume of waste generation, the lack of adequate waste treatment systems and the increasing demand of energy. The search for alternatives to deal with these issues is calling the attention of both public and private agents who are engaged in exploring solutions not yet in place in most part of developing countries. The National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS), established by the Law # 12,305/2010, set a new paradigm for the solid waste management in Brazil. Amongst the proposed changes, one of the most relevance is the destination of the so-called \"rejects\" to landfill, in which \"rejects\" stands for the residues that can no longer be processed. To abide by this law will require the analysis of alternatives for treating the residues prior to their final disposal. Amongst the possible solutions, there is the utilization of residues to generate electric energy. In this context, this master\'s thesis examines the two of the most used technologies in the developed world anaerobic digestion and incineration and evaluation their economic feasibility in the Brazilian scenario, particularly in the State of São Paulo. The analysis took as an assumption that the PNRS is a law that shall be enforced as it was stated, and that its compliance will require in a significant change in the way the solid waste management is done within the country. For the regions analyzed, our results showed that, under the PNRS requirements, the anaerobic digestion appeared to be more feasible than the incineration technology. Additionally, our work also indicates that, beyond the economic aspects, other issues such as environmental, social and cultural ones are fundamental for the decision making regarding the best technology applied in urban solid waste process.