Investigation and modelling of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from waste collection and transport activities

Abstract

Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from municipal solid waste management activities and the associated climate change impacts are getting great attention worldwide. This study investigates greenhouse gas emissions and their distribution during waste collection and transport activities in the Dammam region of Saudi Arabia. Greenhouse gas emissions and associated global warming factors were estimated based on diesel fuel consumption during waste collection and transport activities. Then, waste collection and transport data were used to parameterise a mechanistic collection model that can be used to estimate and predict future fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. For the collection and transport of municipal waste in the study area, the average associated total greenhouse gas emissions were about 24,935 tCO2-eq. Global warming factors for three provinces were estimated as 25.23 kg CO2-eq t-1, 25.04 kg CO2-eq t-1, and 37.15 kg CO2-eq t-1, respectively. Lastly, the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) modelling system was used to estimate the atmospheric dispersion of greenhouse gas emissions. Model results revealed that the maximum daily greenhouse gas concentrations ranged between 0.174 and 97.3 mg m-3, while annual average greenhouse gas concentrations were found to be between 0.012 and 27.7 mg m-3 within the study domain. The highest greenhouse gas concentrations were observed for the regions involving the municipal solid waste collection routes owing to their higher source emission rates.