Enhancing sustainability in municipal solid waste management: An Anaerobic-based scenario for Kaunas MBT

Abstract The Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT) facility plays a vital role in the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). A Life Cycle Assessment of the current operations at the Kaunas MBT reveals that the facility processes have a negative environmental impact. This impact can be minimized by reducing the carbon footprint. This study presents the activities of the MBT in the Kaunas Region, Lithuania, and proposes a scenario to reduce the carbon footprint of the Kaunas MBT. The Kaunas MBT processes waste collected from four different municipalities in the Kaunas region. The MBT residues are disposed in two landfill sites for non-hazardous waste. Biodegradable waste is composted using an aerobic technique inside composting tunnels, and afterward, the composted material is used in landscaping. Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) produced by the MBT is transferred to the Kaunas incineration plant for energy production. This article proposes a scenario to replace the aerobic composting of biodegradable waste at the MBT with anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. This biogas can be used to generate electricity, meeting the energy demands of the MBT facility. As a result, the Kaunas MBT facility could be considered a Green MBT. This facility requires a load of 2.2MW to operate smoothly, consuming 19.27 million kWh annually. If the MBT is modified according to aforementioned proposed scenario, 72240 tons per year of biodegradable material can generate 87.70 million kWh annually.