Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected

1,14
MB Materials in Municipal Solid Waste

144
stron

4750
ID UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

2000
rok

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: BACKGROUND AND FINDINGSES-1

ES.1 GREENHOUSE GASES AND CLIMATE CHANGE.ES-1

ES.2 WHAT IS THE UNITED STATES DOING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE? .ES-2

ES.3 WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE TO GREENHOUSE GAS

EMISSIONS?ES-3

ES.4 WHY EPA PREPARED THIS REPORT AND HOW IT WILL BE USEDES-4

ES.5 HOW WE ANALYZED THE IMPACT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE ON GREENHOUSE GAS

EMISSIONS.ES-5

ES.6 RESULTS OF THE ANALYSISES-10

ES.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSISES-16

1. METHODOLOGY.1

1.1 INTRODUCTION.1

1.2 THE OVERALL FRAMEWORK: A STREAMLINED LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY.1

1.3 THE REVIEW PROCESS 2

1.4 MSW MATERIALS CONSIDERED IN THE STREAMLINED LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY .3

1.5 KEY INPUTS AND BASELINES FOR THE STREAMLINED LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY4

1.6 HOW THESE INPUTS ARE TALLIED AND COMPARED .7

1.7 SUMMARY OF THE LIFE CYCLE STAGES9

2. RAW MATERIALS ACQUISITION AND MANUFACTURING15

2.1 GHG EMISSIONS FROM ENERGY USE IN RAW MATERIALS ACQUISITION AND

MANUFACTURING15

2.2 NON-ENERGY GHG EMISSIONS FROM MANUFACTURING AND RAW MATERIALS

ACQUISITION20

2.3 RESULTS .20

2.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS21

3. FOREST CARBON SEQUESTRATION.35

3.1 MODELING FRAMEWORK.38

3.2 THE NORTH AMERICAN PULP AND PAPER (NAPAP) MODEL 39

3.3 THE TIMBER ASSESSMENT MARKET MODEL (TAMM) AND THE AGGREGATE TIMBERLAND

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (ATLAS).44

3.4 THE FOREST CARBON MODEL (FORCARB)47

3.5 THE HARVESTED CARBON MODEL (HARVCARB)49

3.6 RESULTS .52

3.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS56

4. SOURCE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING61

4.1 GHG IMPLICATIONS OF SOURCE REDUCTION 61

4.2 GHG IMPLICATIONS OF RECYCLING .63

4.3 SOURCE REDUCTION WITH MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION.66

4.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS67

5. COMPOSTING71

5.1 POTENTIAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS 71

5.2 POTENTIAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION72

5.3 NET GHG EMISSIONS FROM COMPOSTING76

5.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS76

6. COMBUSTION .79

6.1 METHODOLOGY81

6.2 RESULTS .89

6.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS92

7. LANDFILLING .95

7.1 EXPERIMENTAL VALUES FOR METHANE GENERATION AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION.96



7.2 FATES OF LANDFILL METHANE: CONVERSION TO CO2, EMISSIONS, AND FLARING OR

COMBUSTION WITH ENERGY RECOVERY.99

7.3 NET GHG EMISSIONS FROM LANDFILLING101

7.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS102

8. ACCOUNTING FOR EMISSION REDUCTIONS..111

8.1 GHG EMISSIONS FOR EACH WASTE MANAGEMENT OPTION 111

8.2 APPLYING EMISSION FACTORS 113

ATTACHMENT 1 - A PARTIAL LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY OF PROCESS AND TRANSPORTATION

ENERGY FOR BOXBOARD AND PAPER TOWELS

DOCUMENT B - BACKGROUND DATA SUBMITTED BY THE TELLUS INSTITUTE

DOCUMENT C - REVIEW PROCESS FOR THE REPORT

DOCUMENT D - COMMENT-RESPONSE DOCUMENT