Environmental Cost Benefit Analysis of Waste to Energy Recovery In Nifas Silk Lafto Subcity Addis Ababa (As a Component In The Context of Integrated Solid Waste Management
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Date
2007-11
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
Addis Ababa current solid waste management system is in crisis and faces important
political, geographical and environmental challenges that make it nonsustainable.
Therefor there is an urgent need to move towards an integrated solid waste
management that includes modern alternatives, such as waste-to- energy recovery
(WTER). In a sustainable development approach, waste should be regarded as a resource
for materials and energy recovery and not simply as a product for disposal.
The objective of this research is to propose an integrated solid waste management for
lafto sub city that focuses on the use of WTER as the key component. This study offers a
cost benefit analysis of one WTER plant that will serve Lafto sub city.
The mass burn technology of the martin reverse –acting grate was selected for a WTER
plant of capacity of 1000 metric tones /day but for the case of lafto sub city it is modified
to accept small amount of solid waste. This plant will provide 540 kg/ton of MSW of net
charcoal out put to utilities.
The cost-benefit analysis indicated that at the assumed benefits from charcoal production,
liquid bi-product and inorganic part of solid waste the project has a positive Net Present
Value (NPV) of $9,049,949 at a 9% discount rate, therefore the project should be
undertaken. The initial investment would be paid back in 4 years while the WTER plant
would have a useful life of at least 30 years. Thus, the sensitivity analysis showed that the
WTER facility could charge a significantly lower cost than current dumping system and
still have a positive NPV. However, a very small increase or decrease in the charcoal
price or heating value can make a dramatic difference in profitability.
Before the construction of the plant, the none-quantifiable impacts such as the
environmental, social and economic factors must be carefully examined. The perception
of air pollution associated with the incinerators of the past and the location of the WTER
plant are factors that could generate opposition from the host community. On the other
hand, modern Waste-to-Energy Recovery plants have been shown to result in a dramatic
decrease in air emissions in comparison to dumping site. Also, their emissions are much
below the EPA standards and lower than coal power plant emissions. In addition, the
location of a WTER plant will be closer to the municipality than the present dumping
site. This will reduce truck travel and diesel emissions to the atmosphere, and a
significant reduction in generated smog. Overall, the non-quantifiable benefits seem to
overweight the non-quantifiable costs, therefore supporting the construction of a WTER
plant for Lafto sub city, Addis Ababa. The community would have to be educated about
these issues.
Considering that the current waste management situation in lafto sub city is almost
identical to the rest of Addis Ababa, the possibilities of WTER as a widespread solution
for waste management are very promising.
Addis Ababa’s city government should implement an integrated solid waste management
system that would perfectly solve the problem arising from solid wastes. Addis Ababa
city government has already started recycling solid wastes. This decreases the amount of
solid wastes that will disposed to the dumping site. In addition, the WTER plant proposed
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Keywords
Waste to Energy Recovery