Prediction of greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators with consideration of utilization of heat and captured CO2 in the Tokyo waterfront area

We focused on incineration of solid waste and resource recycling, when clarifying how to achieve carbon neutrality (CN) by 2050; we describe how future municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) should operate. Specifically, eight low-carbon measures were set for four MSWIs located in the Tokyo waterfront area (Chuo, Minato, Shinkoto, and Ariake), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were estimated for each scenario by combining these measures. We concluded that, in addition to MSW reduction and the introduction of biomass plastics, the improvement of power generation efficiency via plant renewal and wide area management of the MSWIs are useful when seeking to achieve CN. If the emission factor of electricity is to achieve CN in the future, the introduction of methanation is desirable in combination with wide area management, but if the emission factor of city-gas is also expected to achieve CN, an expansion of district heat utilization should rather be considered.