Embedding technology and management for circularity in MSW clean tech value chain: An LCA attributional modelling...

Attributional life-cycle assessment was undertaken for a municipal solid waste management (MSWM) facility to benchmark the ecological impacts of the MSW reverse supply chain. The study assesses the performance of an integrated municipal solid waste treatment system with reverse circular supply chain processes like transportation, inspection & sorting, reprocessing, and landfilling, benchmarking with the conventional method for an MSW facility in Mumbai, India. An attributional LCA was conducted to understand the ecological and human-related impacts of the MSW reverse supply chain, using GaBi software. Indicators like marine aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity potential, ozone layer depletion potential, terrestrial ecotoxicity potential, ozone creation potential, and abiotic depletion potential were studied. Circularity interventions in energy recovery, material reuse, and recycling were benchmarked across transportation, sorting, biomining, composting, and landfilling operations. Biomining, composting, and transportation caused significant human toxicity-related and ecological impacts, including abiotic resource depletion and aquatic/terrestrial ecotoxicity. Circularity approaches, such as material recovery and landfill gas recovery, mitigate impacts and can be identified as value proposition strategies in MSW waste processing. These are also the hotspots that have the highest mitigation potential, both in terms of ecological and health impacts. The attributional LCA provided decision-making insights into managing recovery processes for the MSW waste stream, reducing reliance on landfilling and enabling more sustainable waste-to-energy systems.