Integration of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage system with Waste-to-Energy incineration plant

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) incineration plants are crucial in modern waste management, processing non-recyclable waste and thus providing sanitary services to communities while generating electrical and thermal energy (Astrup et al., 2009). With approximately 500 plants across Europe treating nearly 100 million tons of municipal, commercial, and industrial residual waste annually (Poretti and Stengler, 2022), their impact on sustainable waste management is significant. They contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by limiting landfill use and thus reducing the associated methane emissions (Cucchiella et al., 2014; D. Wang et al., 2020). By preventing the dumping of waste in landfills, WtE incineration plants prevent methane release, a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2 over both short (86 times more potent over a 20-year) and long terms (28 times more potent than over a 100-year) (Y. Wang et al., 2020). Additionally, the energy generated through WtE incineration provides a sustainable alternative to energy produced using fossil fuels, further reducing their environmental footprint (Cucchiella et al., 2014; D. Wang et al., 2020). Despite these environmental benefits, the combustion process in WtE incineration plants produces the unavoidable emission of CO2, particularly from the combustion of fossil carbon in waste, which contributes to climate change (Christensen et al., 2009). This poses a challenge in moving toward a sustainable and low-carbon energy system, especially in light of Europe’s plan to integrate WtE incineration plants into the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) by 2028 as defined by the Directive 2023/959 (European Parliament, 2023). This measure would require the WtE incinerator plants to financially account for their fossil CO2 emissions, thereby underlining the need for emission reduction. In this context, Carbon Capture, Utilization or Storage (CCUS) technologies become particularly significant, as they can be integrated with WtE incineration to mitigate CO2 emissions (Christensen and Bisinella, 2021; Wienchol et al., 2020). From a broader perspective, CCUS technologies are increasingly recognized as essential in mitigating climate change (C2ES, 2016; IEA, 2020; Metz et al., 2005). The International Energy Agency underlines the role of CCUS in achieving the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global temperature increases to below 2°C (Paris Agreement, 2016) and highlights CCUS as a key technology for significantly reducing emissions from large-scale energy systems (IEA, 2020). The application of Carbon Capture technology requires combining with Storage (CCS) or Utilization (CCU). CCS involves removing CO2 from carbon sources and compressing it for storage underground (Golombek et al., 2021a), while CCU utilizes captured CO2 for conversion, focusing on incorporating CO2 into the carbon cycle, seeking a long-term sustainable path and generating economic benefits by using CO2, thereby reducing the overall cost of Capture (IEA, 2019). The integration of carbon CCUS technologies in WtE incineration plants is an innovative approach toward sustainable waste management. This doctoral thesis aims to enhance the environmental sustainability of WtE incineration plants by exploring effective strategies for reducing their carbon emissions through the adoption of CCUS systems. The thesis focuses on analyzing the technical feasibility, economic implications, and potential environmental benefits of integrating CCUS technologies into WtE incineration plants. It examines the current status of CCUS technologies within WtE incineration plants, identifies the challenges and opportunities in their adoption, and explores the technological and economic aspects that can facilitate their effective implementation. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide a comprehensive insight into how WtE plants can evolve to meet the demands of a changing environmental paradigm. The research will offer a valuable contribution to the ongoing discussion on sustainable waste management and carbon emission reduction.