A variety of technologies and approaches are available to reduce the methane emissions associated with solid waste disposal and wastewater treatment. In the area of solid waste disposal, options include source reduction, methane recovery from disposal sites, and in some cases aerobic treatment of solid waste, through composting or other means. Similarly, methane emissions from wastewater treatment can be reduced through methane recovery or use of aerobic treatment facilities that do not generate methane. The available approaches are discussed in detail in several references (IPCC 1996a, WG II, Section 22.4.4.2; IPCC, 1996b, WG II, TP1; Thorneloe et al., 1993). The principal approaches are described briefly below and summarised in Table 13.1.
Table 13.1: Comparison of Mitigation Technologies in the Waste Management Sector | ||||
MITIGATION OPTIONS | EFFECTIVENESS | TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS | APPLICABILITY | COST |
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL | ||||
Waste Reduction | High | Low-High (depending on site) |
High | Low-Moderate |
Waste Diversion | ||||
1) Recycling | High (if focused on organic wate) |
Low to Moderate | High | Low-Moderate |
2) Composting | High (if well managed) |
Low | High | Low |
3) Incineration | High | High | Low-Moderate (less applicable in developing countries) |
High |
. Methane Recovery | Moderate - High (50-75% of methane recoverable; most applicable at large sites) |
Moderate | High (especially in the near-term) |
Low - Moderate (depending on site) |
WASTEWATER TREATMENT | ||||
|
High | Low-High (depending on site) |
High | Low |
|
High | Low | High | Low |
|
High | Moderate-High | Low-Moderate | Moderate-High |
|
Moderate-High | Moderate | High (especially in near term) |
Low-Moderate (depending on site) |
There are some important points to note:
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