A pilot-scale biocover was installed at a sanitary landfill for municipal waste, and the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by the biocover was evaluated for a long period of 550 days. The biocover (2.5 m W × 5 m L × 1 m H) was constructed with the mixture of soil, perlite, earthworm cast and compost (6:2:1:1, v/v). The total VOCs concentration of the inlet gas into the biocover was 820.3 ppb~7,217.9 ppb, and the total VOCs concentration of the outlet gas from the surface of the biocover was 12.6 ppb~1,270.1 ppb. The average removal efficiency of total VOCs was 87.6 ± 11.0% (60.5% for minimum and 98.5% for maximum). Toluene concentration was the highest among the inlet VOCs, followed by ethylbenzene, m, p-xylene and o-xylene. These aromatic VOCs accounted for more than 50% of the total VOCs concentration. Other than these aromatic VOCs, hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, benzene, and acetone were major VOCs among the inlet VOCs. Compared with the VOC profiles in the inlet gas, the relative contribution of dichloromethane to the outlet VOCs emitted from the biocover layer increased from 0.1% to 15.3%. The average removal efficiencies of BTEX in the biocover were over 84% during the operation period of 550 days. The average removal efficiencies of hexane, cyclohexane and heptane in the biocover were 86.0 ± 18.9%, 85.4 ± 20.4% and 97.1 ± 4.0%, respectively. The removal efficiency of VOCs in the biocover decreased not only when the ambient temperature had fallen below 5oC, but also when the ambient temperature had risen above 23oC. Information on the VOCs removal characteristics of the biocover installed in the landfill field can be useful for commercializing the biocover technology for the treatment of VOCs.

This study measured the energy recovery rate of each municipal waste incineration facility according to the revised energy recovery rate estimation method, which targeted four municipal waste incineration facilities (Unit No. 7). The results calculated by the measuring instruments were used for each factor to estimate the recovery rate, and the available potential of available energy was examined by analyzing the energy production and valid consumption. As a result of the low heating value, 2,540 kcal/kg was calculated on average when the LHVw formula was applied, which is approximately 116 kcal/kg higher than the average design standard of 2,424 kcal/kg. The energy recovery rate was calculated as 96.9% on average based on production and 67.5% based on effective consumption, and the analysis shows that approximately 29.4% energy can be used.

This study was carried out to examine the improvement plan by analyzing the characteristics of imported wastes, operation rate, and benefits of energy recovery for incineration facilities with a treatment capacity greater than 50 ton/ day. The incineration facility capacity increased by 3,280 tons over 15 years, and the actual incineration rate increased to 2,783 ton/day. The operation rate dropped to 76% in 2010 and then rose again to 81% in 2016. The actual calorific value compared to the design calorific value increased by 33.8% from 94.6% in 2002 to 128.4% in 2016. The recovery efficiency decreased by 29% over 16 years from 110.7% to 81.7% in 2002. Recovery and sales of thermal energy from the incinerator (capacity 200 ton/day) dominated the operation cost, and operating income was generated by energy sales (such as power generation and steam). The treatment capacity increased by 11% to 18% after the recalculation of the incineration capacity and has remained consistently above 90% in most facilities to date. In order to solve the problem of high calorific value waste, wastewater, leachate, and clean water should be mixed and incinerated, and heat recovery should be performed through a water-cooled grate and water cooling wall installation. Twenty-five of the 38 incineration facilities (about 70%) are due for a major repair. After the main repair of the facility, the operation rate is expected to increase and the operating cost is expected to decline due to energy recovery. Inspection and repair should be carried out in a timely manner to increase incineration and heat energy recovery efficiencies.

This study was performed to test the feasibility of thermophilic (55oC) co-digestion of municipal sewage sludge and food wastes. The management variables of co-digestion were the mixed ratios of municipal sewage sludge and food waste hydraulic retention times (HRTs). During the operation of thermophilic co-digestion, the reactor pH ranged from 7.0 to 7.5 and the reactor alkalinity remained above 3,200 to 4,000 mg/L as CaCO3. The volatile fatty acids concentration increased as the HRT shortened from 20 days to 10 days and the mixture ratio increased to 1:4, but did not reach toxic levels for co-digestion of sewage sludge and food wastes. Methane productivity increased gradually as the organic loading rate increased. Maximum methane productivity reached 1.03v/v-d at an HRT of 10 days and at the mixture ratio of 1:4. The TVS removal efficiency decreased from 70.6% to 58.3% as the HRT shortened from 20 days to 10 days. TVS removal efficiency ranged from 57.0% to 77% during the entire operation. It is likely that thermophilic co-digestion of sewage sludge and food wastes is a very effective method both to environmentally treat food waste and to economically produce gas for energy.

Over the past two decades, the options for solid waste management have been changing from land disposal to recycling, waste-to-energy, and incineration due to growing attention for resource and energy recovery. In addition, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has become an issue of concern in the waste sector because such gases often released into the atmosphere during the waste management processes (e.g., biodegradation in landfills and combustion by incineration) can contribute to climate change. In this study, the emission and reduction rates of GHGs by the municipal solid waste (MSW) management options in D city have been studied for the years 1996-2016. The emissions and reduction rates were calculated according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines and the EU Prognos method, respectively. A dramatic decrease in the waste landfilled was observed between 1996 and 2004, after which its amount has been relatively constant. Waste recycling and incineration have been increased over the decades, leading to a peak in the GHG emissions from landfills of approximately 63,323 tCO2 eq/yr in 2005, while the lowest value of 35,962 tCO2 eq/ yr was observed in 2016. In 2016, the estimated emission rate of GHGs from incineration was 59,199 tCO2 eq/yr. The reduction rate by material recycling was the highest (-164,487 tCO2 eq/yr) in 2016, followed by the rates by heat recovery with incineration (-59,242 tCO2 eq/yr) and landfill gas recovery (-23,922 tCO2 eq/yr). Moreover, the cumulative GHG reduction rate between 1996 and 2016 was -3.46 MtCO2 eq, implying a very positive impact on future CO2 reduction achieved by waste recycling as well as heat recovery of incineration and landfill gas recovery. This study clearly demonstrates that improved MSW management systems are positive for GHGs reduction and energy savings. These results could help the waste management decision-makers supporting the MSW recycling and energy recovery policies as well as the climate change mitigation efforts at local government level.

This study examined the potentials for greenhouse gas reduction by material recovery and energy recovery from municipal solid waste between 2017 and 2026 in Daejeon Metropolitan City (DMC), which is trying to establish a material-cycle society by constructing a waste-to-energy town by 2018. The town consists of energy recovery facilities such as a mechanical treatment facility for fluff-type solid refuse fuel (SRF) with a power generation plant and anaerobic digestion of food waste for biogas recovery. Such recycling and waste-to-energy facilities will not only reduce GHGs, but will also substitute raw materials for energy consumption. The emissions and reduction rate of GHGs from MSW management options were calculated by the IPCC guideline and EU Prognos method. This study found that in DMC, the decrease of the amount of MSW landfilled and the increase of recycling and waste-to-energy flow reduced GHGs emissions from 167,332 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2017 to 123,123 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026. Material recycling had the highest rate of GHG reduction (-228,561 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026), followed by the solid refuse fuels (-29,146 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026) and biogas treatment of food waste (-3,421 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026). This study also shows that net GHG emission was found to be -30,505 tonCO2 eq in 2017 and -105,428 tonCO2 eq, indicating a great and positive impact on future CO2 emission. Improved MSW management with increased recycling and energy recovery of material waste streams can positively contribute to GHGs reduction and energy savings. The results of this study would help waste management decision-makers clarify the effectiveness of recycling MSW, and their corresponding energy recovery potentials, as well as to understand GHG reduction by the conversion.

The use of mechanical treatment (MT) for preparing solid refuse fuel (SRF) using municipal solid waste has been growing in Korea. One of the problems with using this treatment measure is the generation of residual waste from the MT, which will not be contained in the SRF. Most of this waste will be dumped into landfill instead of being used for the production of SRF. Much of the waste will be organic portions originating from food and biodegradable wastes. Consequently, the organic portion dumped into the landfill generates methane gas, which is a strong greenhouse gas. In this paper, the waste from MT was investigated directly at the MT facility located at Su-Do-Kwon landfill site to develop proper treatment measures to avoid disposing of the MT waste in landfill, which is prohibited in Germany and England.

Depending on the steam pressure and temperature balance, it is possible to increase the power generation efficiency of the steam turbine by increasing the heat loss of the turbine by increasing the temperature and pressure. As the high temperature and high pressure increase, the boiler main steam amount is reduced by about 10%, but the increase rate of the heat drop is larger than the decrease rate of the steam flow rate, leading to improvement of power generation efficiency. Utilizing the US Department of Energy Steam Turbine Calculator, we calculated the electricity produced by steam temperature and pressure changes. In this study, the steam temperature was increased from 50℃ to 500℃ at the steam temperature of 20 kg/cm²×300℃, and increased by 10 kg/cm² at the pressure of 20 kg/cm² at the pressure of 60 kg/cm² to investigate the changes in electricity production. Electricity production increased with increasing temperature and pressure. The electricity production was increased by 40.11% at 40 kg/cm²×400℃ and 75.56% at 60 kg/cm²×500℃ compared to the standard condition of 20 kg/cm²×300℃ for comparison.

Energy can be reduced by reducing the exhaust gas temperature at the catalyst inlet and reducing or not using the amount of steam to reheat the exhaust gas. At this time, it is a method to improve the power generation efficiency by using the saved energy for power generation. When the exhaust gas temperature at the inlet of the catalytic reaction tower is operated at about 210℃, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the flue gas downstream of the bag filter at 165℃ to 45℃ to 210℃ required for the catalytic reaction. In the case of low temperature catalyst application, the temperature required for the catalytic reaction tower may be 185℃ and the temperature may be raised only 20℃. Therefore, the amount of steam for heating can be reduced. If the exhaust gas temperature of the bag filter inlet can be increased to 190℃, it can be combined with the low-temperature catalyst to reduce the energy consumed by removing exhaust gas ash. On the other hand, since the high-pressure steam is used as the heat source for reheating the exhaust gas, the reheating temperature is limited. According to such conditions, the exhaust gas temperature at the inlet of the catalytic reaction tower is often designed at about 200 to 220℃.

국내 폐기물 소각시설의 에너지 회수효율 관련 규정으로는 ｢폐기물관리법 시행규칙｣ 제3조(에너지 회수 기준 등)에 명시되어 있으며, 에너지 회수효율 기준으로는 75 % 이상(생산량 기준) 회수된 열에너지를 스스로 이용하거나 다른 사람에게 공급할 것으로 규정하고 있다. 또한, 2016년 5월 제정된 ｢자원순환기본법｣ 내 제21조에서는 폐기물을 순환이용할 수 있음에도 불구하고 소각･매립방법으로 처분하는 경우 폐기물처분부담금을 부과하도록 명시하였으며, 동법 제24조에 따르면 소각열에너지를 50 % 이상 회수하여 이용하는 경우 폐기물처분부담금을 감면할 수 있도록 규정하고 있다. 그러나 현행 에너지 회수효율 기준은 생산에너지를 기준으로 산정하고 있어 실제 유효하게 이용된 에너지의 평가가 곤란하며, 에너지원으로는 전력에너지가 반영되지 못하여 에너지 회수효율 증진을 위한 유인방안이 부족한 실정이다. 국내의 폐기물 소각시설의 저위발열량 산정방법으로는 원소분석법(Dulong, Steuer 등), 단열 열량계(Bomb Calorimeter)를 이용하여 측정･분석하고 있으나 소량의 시료 채취를 통하여 폐기물의 대표성을 확보하기에는 많은 어려움이 따른다. 또한, 소각로에 투입되는 폐기물의 특성(성상의 다양성, 계절적 영향 등) 및 시설의 특성 등을 반영하지 못하고 있는 실정이다. 이에 본 연구에서는 지역적 특성 및 소각로･보일러의 형태(stoker, Rotary Kiln, FBC )등을 고려하여 현재 운영 중인 폐기물 소각시설(생활, 사업장) 11개소(17호기)를 대상시설로 선정하여 계측기 측정데이터 및 현장측정(배출가스 조성, 바닥재 배출온도 및 강열감량, 소각로 및 보일러 방열손실)을 통하여 해당 시설의 저위발열량 및 에너지 회수효율을 산정하였다. 이와 같은 산정결과를 바탕으로 향후 에너지 회수효율 향상 제고를 위한 기초자료로 활용하고자 한다.

Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurnas (PCDFs) in stack gas were analyzed from 21 municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWs) using high resolution gas chromatography equipment with a high resolution mass spectrometer (HRGC/HRMS) in 2015. The concentration of PCDDs/DFs was in the range 0.09 ~ 354.54 pg-TEQ/Sm3 based on the International Toxicity Equivalency Factor (I-TEF) and all MSWs complied with emission standards. The congener distribution of PCDDs/DFs was categorized into one group and two outliers via principal component analysis (PCA). Among the 17 PCDDs/DFs, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD showed the highest mass fraction (20.8%) and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF showed the largest TEQ contribution (42.9%).

Coal briquette ash is an inorganic and non-combustible material. Although coal briquette ash is mainly composed of SiO2, Al2O3, and is an acceptable raw industrial material (containing Fe2O3, K2O, MgO, CaO, TiO2, and Na2O), it is merely considered waste and is exploited as a building material for concrete admixtures and bricks. Because mullite (3Al2O3 2SiO2), which coal briquette ash contains, is a stable compound with a crystalline structure, it plays essential roles in its fracture strength and bending strength. This study serves the purpose of developing environmentally friendly, economical clay bodies through the use of coal briquette ash as a substitute for kaolin to provide Al2O3 and SiO2. We also investigated the seed effects during sintering process by feeding mullite directly into clay bodies. The results show that in 1,300°C heat, a mixture of 40% coal briquette ash, 40% feldspar/limestone (8 : 2), and 20% clay indicates a fracture strength value of 525 kgf/cm2, an absorption rate of 0.72%, burning shrinkage of 11.5%, and an average bending strength of 0.6 cm, which is superior to other clay bodies. The addition of coral briquette ash in clay bodies promoted mullite formation and grew as mullite acted as a seed. In addition to the developing clay bodies, it can also make an oatmeal-colored glaze to widen the spectrum of its usability. This study will help resolve waste problems, reduce environmental pollution, and raise economic value by using coal briquette ash as a raw material for ceramics. Clay bodies made with coal briquette ash are expected to continuously contribute to the development of the ceramics industry with upcycling effects.

WtE of MSW plays a crucial role in renewable energy production in Korea. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is an important energy resource for combined heat and power (CHP) production. This study investigated an increasing method to the power generation efficiency by MSW to energy (WtE) plants in South Korea and discussed the issues related to energy efficiency improvement. To achieve energy efficiency improvement is used to lower temperature for emission gas at catalyst inlet, or to reduce/stop using steam to reheat emission gas. Saved energy from this process can be used as power source in order to increase generation efficiency. It is possible to increase denitrification efficiency by maintaining the temperature of emission gas for catalyst denitrification. The temperature of emission gas of which moisture is increased to saturation point (relative humidity of 100%) at the exit of wet scrubber is between 50 and 60℃. This means there should be reheating of emission gas with the approximate temperature of 150℃. Dry emission gas treatment, on the other hand, is the technology to increase generation efficiency by using highly efficient desalination materials including highly-responsive slaked lime and sodium type chemicals in order to comply with air pollution standards and reduce used steam volume for reheating emission gas. If dry emission gas is available, reheating is possible only with the temperature of 45℃ in order to expect generation efficiency by reducing steam volume for reheating.

When adopting drain close system, the temperature of emission gas at the boiler exit is set high by spraying and evaporating drained water on quencher tower. According to applying drain close system boiler and power generation efficiency were decreased. In case of the water close system is not applied to treat the wastewater from incineration facility, the economizer outlet temperature can be reduced to 190∼220℃. And this leads to the increased ability of boiler's heat recovery. However, the temperature of emission gas at economizer exit should be set at 250℃ or higher if applying drain close system (minor conditions can affect as well). Boiler efficiency and generation efficiency can be improved by comparing the temperature of emission gas at economizer exit at 190℃ without the introduction of drain close system and 250℃ with drain close system. There are three types of white plume reduction equipment: one is offline type to blow air into chimney through heat source and exchange points after heating the air by using steam from equipment like boiler; another is in-line type to blow air into chimney through heat exchanger of combustion emission gas (mainly boiler exit); and the other is to blow air into chimney through hot wind burner by using fuels including kerosene. At a facility with white plume reduction equipment equipped with 5℃ of outdoor temperature and 60% of humidity, power generation volume and generation efficiency can be improved by using leftover steam for steam turbine from suspension of using white plume reduction equipment.

현행 폐기물 소각시설에서의 에너지회수 관련 규정으로는 ｢폐기물관리법 시행규칙｣ 제3조에 명시되어 있으며, 에너지 회수기준 및 검사방법, 검사기관 등에 대하여 규정하고 있다. 에너지 회수기준으로는 75 % 이상(생산량 기준)으로써 회수된 열에너지를 스스로 이용하거나 다른 사람에게 공급할 것으로 규정하고 있다. 그러나 현행 에너지회수 기준마련에 대한 근거가 미비하며, 생산된 에너지를 기준으로 산정하고 있어 실질적으로 유효이용에 대한 평가가 곤란하다. 또한, 폐기물 소각시설에서의 연소 성능 및 경제성에 가장 큰 영향을 미치는 저위발열량은 연료가 완전히 연소될 때 단위질량당 발생하는 열량(수증기 잠열 제외)으로써 에너지 시장에 대한 분석을 위해서는 기본적으로 필요하다. 저위발열량 산정방법으로는 원소분석에 의한 저위발열량, 단열열량계에 의한 저위발열량 등을 이용하여 측정하고 있으나 폐기물공정시험 기준에 따라 시료를 분할 채취하여 균일화하여도 폐기물의 대표성을 확보하기에는 어려움이 따른다. 또한 현행 산정방법으로는 지역적 특성 및 계절적 영향 등 소각로에 투입되는 폐기물의 특성을 반영하지 못하고 있는 실정이다. 이에 본 연구에서는 국내 생활폐기물 소각시설(4개소)에서의 폐기물 투입량, 증기 생산량 및 사용량 등의 실제 계측기 측정데이터와 배출가스 보유에너지, 방열손실, 바닥재 배출열 등의 현장측정 결과를 바탕으로 저위발열량(Lower Heating Value) 및 에너지 회수효율(Energy Recovery)을 산정하였다. 산정결과를 바탕으로 ｢자원순환기본법｣ 시행(2018년 1월 1일부터)에 앞서 생활폐기물 소각시설에서의 에너지 회수기준 및 산정방법에 대한 제도적 검토와 에너지회수율 기준 및 법적･제도적 정비 방향 등의 기초자료로 활용하고자 한다.

우리나라는 현재 지방자치제도를 시행하고 있다. 지방자지제도란 일정한 지역을 바탕으로 하는 단체 혹은 해당지역의 주민이 스스로 산출한 기관이 해당 지방의 행정을 관할하는 제도이다. 그렇기에 지방자치단체(이하 지자체)에서 발생하는 생활폐기물의 수집운반 업무의 책임 또한 해당 지자체의 장이 지고 있다. 생활폐기물 수집운반 업무는 각 해당 지자체가 직접 조직을 구성하여 운영하는 이른바 직접운영과 민간업체에 해당 업무를 위탁하여 진행하는 위탁운영으로 구분할 수 있다. 직영은 각 지자체가 직접 수집운반에 소요되는 비용을 지불하고 있으나 위탁의 경우 앞서 언급한 직영과는 조금 다른 비용지불법을 사용하고 있다. 이는 업무의 효율과 투명성을 높이기 위해 공개입찰제를 시행하고 있는데 이 과정을 통해 선정된 폐기물 수집운반업자에게 비용을 지불하고 해당 업무를 진행하고 있다. 하지만 해당 업무에 필요한 예산은 지자체가 임의로 배정하는 것이 아니라 지자체 혹은 폐기물 수집운반 업자가 아닌 제 3자가 계상하고 있으며 제 3자가 비용의 계상시에도 지자체가 비용을 지불하고 있는데, 이를 추산해본 결과 전국적으로 매년 약 25억원을 지출하고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 하여 본 연구의 목적은 매년 생활폐기물 수집운반업무의 민간위탁시 원가산정으로 낭비되는 비용을 저감키 위함이다. 이를 위해 각 지자체의 폐기물 수집운반 원가산정 보고서를 분석하였으며 그 결과 폐기물 수집운반 원가는 해당 업무에 소요되는 시간을 산정하고 이를 바탕으로 인건비, 장비 사용료 등을 계상하고 있음을 파악하였다. 하여 생활폐기물 수집운반 소요시간 산정모델을 개발하였다. 수집운반에 소요되는 시간을 산정하면 이를 바탕으로 수집운반 소요원가를 산정할 수 있음에도 불구하고 소요시간만 산정하는 모델을 개발한 이유로는 각 지자체마다 각기 다른 기준을 적용하여 생활폐기물 수집운반 소요원가를 산정하고 있기 때문이었다. 본 연구를 진행키 위해 폐기물 수집운반 현장조사를 진행하기로 하였으며, 대상지역을 선정하였다. 선정기준은 인구밀도이며 국내에 존재하는 모든 지자체의 인구밀도를 각 지자체에서 발간하는 ‘통계연보’를 통해 수집하였다. 이후 이를 내림차순으로 정렬하고 상위에서 25%씩 총 4그룹으로 분할하였다. 그리고 각 구간별 인구밀도의 평균과 가장 가까운 지자체 총 12개가 선정되었다. 그리고 지자체별 폐기물 수집운반업체를 찾아 폐기물 수집운반 차량에 GPS를 장착하고 추적조사를 통해 차량이동 궤적, 이동소요시간, 이동거리를 수집하고 설문조사를 통해 차량종류, 작업원 수, 폐기물 수집량을 수집하였다. 수집된 정보 중 폐기물 수집소요시간에서 폐기물 수집량을 나누어서 단위생활폐기물 수집소요시간(hr/ton)을 구하였고 이를 이용하여 이것과 다른 데이터들의 상관관계를 회귀분석을 통해 진행하였다. 그 결과 단위생활폐기물과 가장 유의성이 높은 인자는 주택밀도(호/km²)로 분석되었고 단위생활폐기물 수집소요시간과 주택밀도와의 회귀분석식을 통해 나타난 식을 이용하여 생활폐기물 수집운반에 소요되는 시간을 산정할 수 있음을 확인하였다.

자원순환기본법 시행과 기후변화협약 이행으로 지금까지 안정적으로 처분해왔던 폐기물관리에 변화를 가져올 수밖에 없는 상황이다. 감량 목적의 단순 소각처분이 아닌 자원이 순환하고 온실가스 감축을 위해 에너지를 최대한 회수하기 위한 방안 마련이 필요하다. 우리나라는 선진화된 폐기물정책 시행으로 인해 폐기물 감량이나 재활용에 있어서는 선도적 역할을 담당해오고 있으나 소각에너지 회수에 있어서는 미흡한 면이 있다. 자원순환 기본법 시행과 신기후체제로 인해 3R(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)뿐 아니라 에너지회수(Recovery)를 포함하는 4R 체제가 정착되어야만 하는 상황이기에 관련 동향을 살펴볼 필요가 있다. 이에 본 연구는 기후변화협약(교토의 정서)을 이행해온 국가와 자원순환사회를 선도적으로 추진해 온 국가를 중심으로 폐기물처분에 대한 변화를 살펴보고자 한다. 또한 폐기물 처분시 소각에 의한 처분률 변화와 소각에너지 회수와의 관계를 살펴보고 앞으로 자원순환 정책과 기후변화협약에 대응할 수 있는 방향성을 살펴보고자 한다. 연구결과에 의하면 앞으로 우리나라는 폐기물처분시 소각에 의한 처분률이 높아질 것으로 예상되는 바, 소각시설의 집적화와 대형화로 안정적 처분뿐 아니라 소각에너지 회수증대를 위한 세부적인 이행방안 마련이 필요하다. 이때 소각시설에 대한 양적 증대뿐 아니라 질적으로도 소각에너지 회수를 증대하고 회수한 에너지를 유효하게 이용할 수 있는 방안 마련도 함께 이뤄질 필요가 있음을 확인하였다.

Recently, the concept of “waste minimization and a sustainable resource circulation society” has become a global issue as the key term waste management policy, the effective use of waste, has been emphasized. Research that converts wastes from incinerators into energy is actively underway as a countermeasure for this issue. The most important factor, the lower heating value (LHV), is the amount of heat (excepting the latent heat of water vapor) generated when the fuel is completely burned, and it is necessary to analyze the combustion performance and economic efficiency of waste incineration facilities. The current LHV estimation methods of the Dulong equation and calorimeter through sampling cannot produce results that reflect the operation status of the incineration facility and the waste characteristics. Consequently, an objective and quantitative LHV formula (LHVKorea) was derived based on the operating data from the domestic municipal solid waste incineration facilities in this study. Additionally, by comparing LHVKorea and LHVEU, the error range of the two formulas is analyzed. The average result of LHVKorea is 2,318kcal/kg (1,788 ~ 2,734 kcal/kg), and an error range of 5% appears between LHVKorea and LHVEU.

Response measures to the resource circulation society and the new climate plan must be prepared by the central government in conjunction with local governments. The future directions of such measures can be established by investigating and evaluating trends in waste disposal currently in use by various cities and provinces. Against this backdrop, the current status of municipal waste generation and disposal in 16 Korean cities and provinces was examined. Although the percentage of waste recycled has increased, the rate of increase is declining. The percentage of waste disposed of in landfills has declined over time, but some landfills have already reached their limits. The amount of waste incinerated has grown more than the amounts recycled or disposed of in landfills. It will soon be necessary to develop measures that further increase the percentage of waste disposed of via incineration and improve the recovery of incineration-related energy. All cities and provinces should strive to improve the operating performance of their incineration facilities while reducing operating costs.

This study examined how OECD countries treat municipal solid waste (MSW) and how their methods of recovering energy after waste incineration changed as leaders prepared to resource circulation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The results showed that Korea, with its per capita MSW of 350 kg and recycling rate of 59%, was the most efficient among the 14 countries studied in regards to waste management. In Korea, the rate of waste reclamation dropped from 71% in 1995 to 15.7% in 2014. However, the rate of waste incineration is expected to increase, allowing the rate of waste reclamation to decrease to less than 1%. In addition, the study showed that the average rate of waste incineration was 49.8% in the OECD-EU countries and Japan, where reclamation rates are relatively low, and this average rate was higher than Korea’s rate of 25.3%. Therefore, Korea needs to identify ways to increase the rate of waste incineration and recover more energy from existing and future incineration plants. Such measures, along with the 3Rs of municipal solid waste and energy recovery, would help Korea become a society of both low carbon and resource circulation.