Evaluating the Triple Bottom Line Using Sustainable Return on Investment

A sustainable return on investment (sROI) analysis is a quantitative approach that captures the economic, environmental, and social impacts of an investment strategy in monetary terms—today and into the future. By providing a broader accounting of the benefits and costs, sROI provides a framework for optimal decision making. sROI is a nonproprietary methodology based on economic principles and includes an uncertainty analysis to demonstrate the likelihood of realizing costs and benefits. This approach provides a more comprehensive picture of projects and supports the selection of investment strategies that are defensible and transparent. sROI can provide the framework and metrics for the evaluation and selection of remediation projects. A demonstration study of a DuPont remediation project illustrates the process and outcome of an sROI analysis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The complexity of barriers to biogas digester dissemination in Indonesia: challenges for agriculture waste management

In the global south, the use of firewood and LPG as dominant energy sources for cooking contributes to socio-ecological issues. Alternatively, biogas is considered a clean energy source generated from organic waste. However, in Indonesia, until 2018, only less than 2% of households utilized biogas for cooking fuel. This research aims to explore the landscape of biogas governance in Indonesia, its fragmentation, and its relation with biodigester dissemination. This study found that there is fragmentation within small-medium scale national biogas programs in Indonesia. Seven national government biogas programs have similar governance arrangements and characteristics; scattered in different departments within the ministry, using the grant approach with two main vendors, often overlapping with local government programs, and not providing proper monitoring and evaluation mechanism, as well as proper training for users. Meanwhile, the biogas program by a non-government organization utilizes a semi-commercial approach; collaborating with multiple stakeholders (governments, local construction partner organizations, cooperatives, and private sectors-companies and banks); and has standardized training and after-sale services. Within those biogas programs, there are multiple barriers along the supply chain process of biodigester dissemination. These barriers relate to the governance aspect of biogas programs. Fragmented governance affected the capability of each program to tackle barriers in biogas digester dissemination. Besides, heavy subsidy on LPG by the government reduced attraction to biogas. This study shows technology adoption barriers beyond the user/individual aspects. It shows interaction among different factors such as policy, the governance of technology transfer, technical production issues, and socio-cultural problems.

     

The changing character of household waste in the Czech Republic between 1999 and 2009 as a function of home heating methods

The authors of this paper report on the changing character of household waste, in the Czech Republic between 1999 and 2009 in households differentiated by their heating methods. The data presented are the result of two projects, financed by the Czech Ministry of Environment, which were undertaken during this time period with the aim of focusing on the waste characterisation and complete analysis of the physicochemical properties of the household waste. In the Czech Republic, the composition of household waste varies significantly between different types of households based on the methods of home heating employed. For the purposes of these studies, the types of homes were divided into three categories – urban, mixed and rural. Some of the biggest differences were found in the quantities of certain subsample categories, especially fine residue (matter smaller than 20 mm), between urban households with central heating and rural households that primarily employ solid fuel such coal or wood. The use of these solid fuels increases the fraction of the finer categories because of the higher presence of ash. Heating values of the residual household waste from the three categories varied very significantly, ranging from 6.8 MJ/kg to 14.2 MJ/kg in 1999 and from 6.8 MJ/kg to 10.5 MJ/kg in 2009 depending on the type of household and season. The same factors affect moisture of residual household waste which varied from 23.2% to 33.3%. The chemical parameters also varied significantly, especially in the quantities of Tl, As, Cr, Zn, Fe and Mn, which were higher in rural households. Because knowledge about the properties of household waste, as well as its physicochemical characteristics, is very important not only for future waste management, but also for the prediction of the behaviour and influence of the waste on the environment as the country continues to streamline its legislation to the European Union’s solid waste mandates, the results of these studies were employed by the Czech Ministry of Environment to optimise the national waste management strategy.     

乙烯撑二氨基苯磺酸生产中磺化废酸的处理

对乙烯撑二氨基苯磺酸生产过程中产生的磺化废酸采用浓缩法进行处理,得到的浓硫酸顺生产中使用。废酸浓缩装置的工艺简单,投资少,建设周期短,运行平稳,１年内即可收回投资,经济效益显著。该装置的建成投产,大大改善了周围环境,具有明显的环境效益。     

Analysing demand for environmental quality: a willingness to pay/accept study in the province of Siena (Italy)

The province of Siena, Italy, enacted a new garbage plan (NGP) with the objective of increasing separate waste collection (SWC), shutting down six landfills and increasing incineration. The aim of the paper is to evaluate costs and benefits of the NGP. The hypothesis is that willingness to pay (WTP) should reflect the value to the community of having better environmental quality, according to the Contingent Valuation literature. The paper reports the results of a contingent valuation (CV). The sample was divided into two subsets: firms and households. Through the information gathered via a detailed questionnaire, parametric and non-parametric estimates were elaborated to analyse the WTP of the population for the benefits flowing from increased SWC, increased incineration and shutting down of landfills. These values were expressed as a share of the tax actually paid. Although a small subset of firms and households valued increasing incineration less positively, requesting compensation, on the whole interviewees (with large differences between firms and households) had a net positive WTP for the provisions included in NGP. Parametric estimation procedures enabled us to analyse the economic as well as social and demographic factors affecting these results. These elements are useful for computing a value for the waste charge that also reflects external effects. Finally, we estimated household income elasticity of WTP for the increase in SWC and found less than one: environmental quality is not a luxury good.     

Sources and factors controlling the disposal of biodegradable municipal solid waste in urban and rural areas of Cyprus

An inventory of sources of biodegradable municipal soil waste (BMSW) was constructed for urban and rural areas in the EU accession region of Cyprus. Composition analysis was performed on source-separated BMSW collected from households in the rural Ergates Community and an urban area within the Agglanjia Municipality. The data were statistically scrutinized to identify the main factors influencing the quantities of BMSW disposed by urban and rural communities in Cyprus. The results were extrapolated to predict the quantities and types of BMSW disposed by the entire communities. Significantly more BMSW was disposed in the urban area compared to the rural community due to lower diversion rates for green waste and the disposal of food waste from commercial sources. The quantity of food waste collected from households was influenced by socio-economic (household size, income, percentage of children) and behavioural (feeding of food waste to domestic animals, consuming processed 'ready' food) factors, whereas garden size, the type of vegetation, the reuse of trimmings and home composting were the main factors controlling the disposal of green waste.     

Time allocation and recycling activities

Recycling is time consuming and the time available for housework may determine the intensity of recycling activities. In this study, we conducted a survey of 546 Japanese households and asked them their daily practice of five varieties of recycling activities: (1) choice of refill products, (2) use of own shopping bags, (3) sorting of recycled papers from burnable waste, (4) use of own drinking bottles when going out, and (5) use of recycle boxes prepared at the grocery store. We also asked households to record their behavior for two successive days. By combining recycling activity data and diary data, we estimate a multivariate probit model to empirically examine whether time available for housework determines the intensity of five varieties of recycling activities. The empirical result demonstrates that an individual that can allocate sufficient time for housework tends to purchase refill products. He or she also tends to bring their own shopping bags for grocery shopping. We also find that the size of house and the number of family members determine the likelihood of recycling. A housewife living with many family members in a large house is more likely to engage in time-consuming recycling activities.     

The collection system for residential recyclables in communities in Haidian District, Beijing: a possible approach for China recycling

Recycling and reusing recyclables is an important way to solve the municipal solid waste (MSW) problem. As the collection of solid waste takes up the largest percentage of MSW management budgets, improving the collection of recyclables is important. Since the decline of government-run waste buying depots in the late 1980s, the collection of recyclables from households and waste deposit sites in China is done by buyers with small informal bases and waste pickers, who are usually unskilled rural people who have come to the cities. Because of this, the current system is seen to have social problems. So, the recyclable collection system has both social as well as economic significance. China is in the process of rapid industrialization and urbanization, and a new mode of community collection system is emerging. It operates by market mechanisms, with waste collection companies that are supported by the municipal government, establishing recycle service sites, and employing workers to buy recyclables door-to-door. This paper is a case study of the new system in the Haidian District, Beijing. It summarizes the system, compares it to experiences in other countries and discusses whether the new approach contributes to resources recycling in China.     

用废铅蓄电池制备黄丹和红丹

以废铅蓄电池为原料,采用湿法、火法联合冶炼技术制备黄丹和红丹。该技术可靠、设备投资少、操作简单、无二次污染、铅尘处理效果好,且环境效益和经济效益显著。用该法制备的红丹产品,Pb3O4质量分数达到97．44％。     

Circular economy pattern of livestock manure management in Longyou,China

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The development of biogas programs in rural China has led to great economic, social, ecological and environmental benefits. The focus of this study...     

厨余垃圾-蔬菜废物协同生产液肥项目技术经济分析

厨余垃圾-蔬菜废物协同生产液肥项目,需要建立科学、高效的运行管理机制和投入产出机制,以提高其经济效益。系统研究银川市某液肥项目的设备投资和运行费用等情况,目前该项目处理规模约为10.6 t/d,运行负荷率为35.3%,导致处理成本高达337.9元/t。因此,提高运行负荷率,是降低处理成本的关键。     

The benefits of flue gas recirculation in waste incineration

Flue gas recirculation in the incinerator combustion chamber is an operative technique that offers substantial benefits in managing waste incineration. The advantages that can be obtained are both economic and environmental and are determined by the low flow rate of fumes actually emitted if compared to the flue gas released when recirculation is not conducted. Simulations of two incineration processes, with and without flue gas recirculation, have been carried out by using a commercial flowsheeting simulator. The results of the simulations demonstrate that, from an economic point of view, the proposed technique permits a greater level of energy recovery (up to +3%) and, at the same time, lower investment costs as far as the equipment and machinery constituting the air pollution control section of the plant are concerned. At equal treatment system efficiencies, the environmental benefits stem from the decrease in the emission of atmospheric pollutants. Throughout the paper reference is made to the EC legislation in the field of environmental protection, thus ensuring the general validity in the EU of the foundations laid and conclusions drawn henceforth. A numerical example concerning mercury emission quantifies the reported considerations and illustrates that flue gas recirculation reduces emission of this pollutant by 50%.     

Environmental & economic life cycle assessment of current & future sewage sludge to energy technologies

The UK Water Industry currently generates approximately 800 GW h pa of electrical energy from sewage sludge. Traditionally energy recovery from sewage sludge features Anaerobic Digestion (AD) with biogas utilisation in combined heat and power (CHP) systems. However, the industry is evolving and a number of developments that extract more energy from sludge are either being implemented or are nearing full scale demonstration. This study compared five technology configurations: 1 – conventional AD with CHP, 2 – Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP) AD with CHP, 3 – THP AD with bio-methane grid injection, 4 – THP AD with CHP followed by drying of digested sludge for solid fuel production, 5 – THP AD followed by drying, pyrolysis of the digested sludge and use of the both the biogas and the pyrolysis gas in a CHP.The economic and environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found that both the post AD drying options performed well but the option used to create a solid fuel to displace coal (configuration 4) was the most sustainable solution economically and environmentally, closely followed by the pyrolysis configuration (5). Application of THP improves the financial and environmental performance compared with conventional AD. Producing bio-methane for grid injection (configuration 3) is attractive financially but has the worst environmental impact of all the scenarios, suggesting that the current UK financial incentive policy for bio-methane is not driving best environmental practice. It is clear that new and improving processes and technologies are enabling significant opportunities for further energy recovery from sludge; LCA provides tools for determining the best overall options for particular situations and allows innovation resources and investment to be focused accordingly.     

Production of feed and fertilizer from water Hyacinth plants in the tropics

Water hyacinth grows ubiquitously in natural water bodies in the tropics. If allowed to propagate without control, it can cause deterioration of water quality and create problems with water uses. However, water hyacinth has been used for wastewater treatment, and as an animal feed and soil conditioner. This paper reports a case study on silaging and composting of water hyacinth plants generated from ponds treating pig farm wastewater. The water hyacinth plants mixed with molasses and pig manure at the ratios of 85:10:5 (% wet weight) were found to be optimum for silage production; the silaging period was 28 days. The silaged products contained 16% protein and 18% dry matter, suitable for use as animal feed. The composted water hyacinth plants, whose raw materials included pig manure and leaves, contained N, P and K about 2.2, 1.5, and 0.8% (dry weight), respectively. An economic analysis of the two recycling options suggested that some benefits could be gained from these practices after 5 years of operation. These two options were found to be technically and economically feasible to be implemented at farm scale levels.     

Evaluation of investments in recycling centres for construction and demolition wastes in Brazilian municipalities

There are very few construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling centres in Brazil. To encourage the building and operation of new units, data were collected and analysed relating to C&D waste management and recycling in Brazil. Based on the results of this analysis, a conceptual model is presented for conducting viability studies of future C&D waste recycling centres. Applying this model to verify the viability of private recycling centres, the results show that under current market conditions in Brazil, C&D waste recycling centres are not financially feasible based solely on revenue from the sale of processed products. Nevertheless, under the same market conditions, the recycling centres could be economically viable for public authorities depending on the particular circumstances of each municipality. The feasibility, however, depends on continuity and the production volume reached. The conceptual model, the results of its applications and the discussions about the experiences of existing centres can strongly support public authorities and private initiatives in their decision-making about investments in Brazil and in other developing countries.     

Challenges when performing economic optimization of waste treatment: A review

Strategic and operational decisions in waste management, in particular with respect to investments in new treatment facilities, are needed due to a number of factors, including continuously increasing amounts of waste, political demands for efficient utilization of waste resources, and the decommissioning of existing waste treatment facilities. Optimization models can assist in ensuring that these investment strategies are economically feasible.Various economic optimization models for waste treatment have been developed which focus on different parameters. Models focusing on transport are one example, but models focusing on energy production have also been developed, as well as models which take into account a plant’s economies of scale, environmental impact, material recovery and social costs. Finally, models combining different criteria for the selection of waste treatment methods in multi-criteria analysis have been developed.A thorough updated review of the existing models is presented, and the main challenges and crucial parameters that need to be taken into account when assessing the economic performance of waste treatment alternatives are identified. The review article will assist both policy-makers and model-developers involved in assessing the economic performance of waste treatment alternatives.     

Economic viability study of a separate household waste collection in a developing country

This article reports a study of the economic viability of a separate household waste collection project, and considers its social and environmental benefits. The study was developed from the database obtained through the pilot project on separate collections in João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba, in the northeast region of Brazil. The pilot project had been supported by the local municipal council since September 2000. The methodology applied to this study of economic viability is based on the economic quantification of the benefits and costs involved in the process of a separate collection of household waste. The benefits to the environment, owing to the reduction of the final disposal of household waste, were also evaluated. The results of this research are encouraging for the benefit cost relation (B/C) of both the quantified economic components and the environmental aspects. The values found for the relation B/C ranged from 1.27 to 1.77 depending on the economic quantification of the direct and indirect benefits to the components involved in the project, i.e., the waste collectors, the municipal council, the sellers of recycled material, and the recycling industry.     

Using a contingent valuation approach for improved solid waste management facility: evidence from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This study employed contingent valuation method to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of the households to improve the waste collection system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The objective of this study is to evaluate how household WTP changes when recycling and waste separation at source is made mandatory. The methodology consisted of asking people directly about their WTP for an additional waste collection service charge to cover the costs of a new waste management project. The new waste management project consisted of two versions: version A (recycling and waste separation is mandatory) and version B (recycling and waste separation is not mandatory). The households declined their WTP for version A when they were asked to separate the waste at source although all the facilities would be given to them for waste separation. The result of this study indicates that the households were not conscious about the benefits of recycling and waste separation. Concerted efforts should be taken to raise environmental consciousness of the households through education and more publicity regarding waste separation, reducing and recycling.     

Performance and emission study of biodiesel from leather industry pre-fleshings

The possible use of pre-fleshing wastes from tanneries in the production of biodiesel fuel was examimed in our previous study in 2005. In this study, engine performance and emission values of biodiesel obtained from these wastes have been investigated and compared to petrodiesel fuel. The test results demonstrated that although the wheel force and power of biodiesel fuel is slightly lower than petrodiesel and the acceleration periods are accordingly longer, the emission values of hydrocarbons and particulate matter were found to be considerably lower with biodiesel. Thus, it has been shown that a waste byproduct can be utilized in the production of an environmentally friendly fuel, which can be used in some diesel engines without a need for major adjustment, providing economic and ecological benefits.     

论中国绿色投资管理

绿色投资是绿色经济发展的必然结果,绿色投资是绿色经济增长的第一推动力。绿色投资是最能体现以人为本和经济社会可持续发展的投资,是最能体现科学发展观的投资。从绿色投资的含义及与绿色经济的关联出发,在脱钩理论的基础上,分析了中国绿色投资的现状和问题,探讨了如何加大中国绿色投资,促进绿色经济发展,实现中国经济社会的可持续发展。