Memorias de investigación
Research Publications in journals:
An efficient waste-to-energy model in isolated environments. Case study: La Gomera (Canary Islands)
Year:2019
Research Areas
  • Waste management,
  • Envioronmental policy,
  • Generation from biomass
Information
Abstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a controversial aspect of isolated environments, not only because the production of waste grows exponentially, but also because in these isolated regions the difficulties are accentuated in comparison with the mainland territories. The limitation of space, the technology of scale and the peaks of generation due to existing tourism, are clear examples of the barriers that must be overcome. This research studies the potential of MSW recovery on the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands) as an alternative to landfill deposition, being an additional energy source for heat and electricity. Likewise, the possibility of carrying out the landfill mining located in the El Revolcadero environmental complex is explored. The methodology followed consists, first of all, on estimating the annual amount of MSW and waste deposited in the landfill. Second, the characterization of representative samples of each municipality is carried out. Third, according to these characteristics, the thermal treatment is chosen and, finally, the energy generated is evaluated. The results are encouraging, and many advantages are derived from this model. The annual recycling figure increases by about 5000 tons per year, the percentage of renewable energy from waste reaches 35.5% (most installed capacity is diesel), and greenhouse gases (GHG) are reduced by more than half. To overcome the challenges in the integral management of MSW, it is necessary to move from a linear economy to a circular economy that takes into account the priorities established by the European Union to solve the problem of these isolated environments in terms of energy.
International
Si
JCR
Si
Title
Sustainability
ISBN
2071-1050
Impact factor JCR
2,592
Impact info
Datos JCR del año 2018
Volume
11
10.3390/su11113198
Journal number
11
From page
1
To page
21
Month
JUNIO
Ranking
Participants
Research Group, Departaments and Institutes related
  • Creador: Grupo de Investigación: Ingeniería de la Calidad Alimentaria
  • Departamento: Ingeniería de Organización, Administración de Empresas y Estadística