A life cycle analysis-based comprehensive study on municipal solid waste management: a case study of Central India

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is an exigent and emerging problem in India. Despite various MSWM options, landfill continues to be the ultimate disposal destination of solid waste leading to ecosystem damage and leachate generation. The appropriate MSWM options and landfill leachate treatment become a matter of great apprehension to avoid negative impacts on the surrounding environment. In the present study, three LCA-based potential scenarios of systematic solid waste management, including anaerobic digestion, composting and landfilling, were analyzed and compared. The life cycle assessment (LCA) model was created in the Gabi 17.00 software for analyzing the impact of every steps involved in the MSWM system. Further, the study also focuses on leachate management of the Bhandewadi landfill site, situated in Nagpur City, India, using five different types of adsorbents, viz. rice husk, granular activated charcoal, powdered activated charcoal, compost and fly ash. Among the different scenario's analyzed and various impact categories studied, the LCA of all the three scenarios highlights that the global warming potential and human toxicity potential of scenario one is comparatively lower than other scenarios. Further, the adsorbents used in the study have potential for the removal of containments. The diffusion profile analysis of leachate through different types of adsorbents used revealed that the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency enhances with thickness of the adsorbent. The study emphasized that it is crucial for decision-makers associated with waste management sector to focus on environment friendly MSWM approaches. It is also recommended that the decision and policymakers adhere and follow the stringent implementation of laws and regulations associated to the MSWM system.