Modeling and optimization in a municipal solid waste management system with emission reduction approach- Case study: Tehran, Iran

The impact of various types of waste produced in the system, transportation and treatment of waste, and diversity of pollutants due to waste collection are some standard problems that communities, including Iran, are straggling with. The city of Tehran, as the capital of Iran, produces more than 7,000 tons of waste per day, and if this volume of waste is not properly managed, it will release excessive emissions into the environment.

In this research, a superstructure model for solid waste management was presented, with an approach to achieve the maximum avoided emissions. Optimization was done by normalizing the output of the emissions and then categorizing and sorting the data.

We examined 31250 different scenarios and based on the obtained results, the best scenario in terms of emission optimization was scenario 21303. Based on this scenario, organic materials, paper, and wood undergo anaerobic digestion while plastics, glass, and metals enter a recycling system. In this case, the amount of emissions avoided is equal to -837027 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per day.

Anaerobic digestion of organic materials, paper, and wood and recycling of plastics, glass, and iron can be selected as a sustainable model for the current waste management system in Tehran. In this case, the amount of emission avoided will be very high and it can be considered the best environmentally friendly option.Keywords: Superstructure, Optimization, Waste Management, Emissions, Tehran