Environmental impact assessment of multi-source solid waste based on a life cycle assessment, principal component...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Waste Management
• Sustainable Development

Background:

• Dongguan, a national pilot city, aims to enhance solid waste utilization for sustainable development in the Greater Bay Area.
• Current waste disposal technologies require optimization for improved efficiency and reduced pollution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the environmental impact of multi-source solid waste disposal technologies using an integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Random Forest (RF) model.
• To propose and validate a cyclic model for multi-source solid waste disposal to guide environmental protection strategies.

Main Methods:

• Applied advanced technologies: carbothermal reduction‒oxygen-enriched side blowing, directional depolymerization‒flocculation demulsification, anaerobic digestion, and incineration power generation.
• Utilized a combined LCA-PCA-RF approach to evaluate environmental loads and compare disposal models.
• Developed and analyzed a cyclic model for multi-source solid waste treatment.

Main Results:

• Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) was identified as the primary environmental load, originating from carbothermal reduction and oxygen-enriched side blowing units.
• The proposed cyclic model demonstrated substantial improvements over existing methods.
• The cyclic model reduced material and energy inputs by 66%-85% and pollution emissions by 15%-88%.

Conclusions:

• The cyclic model for multi-source solid waste treatment is environmentally superior and economically viable.
• This approach significantly contributes to the green and low-carbon development goals of Dongguan.
• The integrated LCA-PCA-RF methodology provides a robust framework for assessing and optimizing waste management strategies.