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Modeling Waste Incineration for Life-Cycle Inventory Analysis in Switzerland

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Abstract

This paper proposes a mathematical model for life-cycle inventory analysis (LCI) of waste incineration in Switzerland. In order to model conventional and new incineration technologies adequately, fundamental aspects of the different technologies relevant for the LCI are discussed. The environmental impact of these technologies strongly depends on the assessment of the long-term emissions of the solid incineration residues and is therefore related to value based decisions about the time horizon considered. The article illustrates that the choice of the landfill model has a significant influence on the results of life-cycle assessment of waste incineration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Technical Chemistry, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, ETH-Hönggerberg, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland

    Stefanie Hellweg, Thomas B. Hofstetter & Konrad Hungerbühler

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  1. Stefanie Hellweg
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  2. Thomas B. Hofstetter
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  3. Konrad Hungerbühler
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Hellweg, S., Hofstetter, T.B. & Hungerbühler, K. Modeling Waste Incineration for Life-Cycle Inventory Analysis in Switzerland. Environmental Modeling & Assessment 6, 219–235 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013307529341

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