east rockingham waste to energy
TRANSCRIPT
East Rockingham Waste to Energy PROOF OF CONCEPT LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT FOR ARENA GRANTSummary ReportApril 2021
Planned ERWTE site
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Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 2 of 35
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 4Context 4Results 4
1 Introduction 51.1 Life Cycle Assessment 61.2 Report structure 6
2 PoC LCA Requirements 72.1 Goal of Study 72.2 Functionalunit,referenceflowsandreferencesystem 82.3 System boundary and cut-off criteria applied 82.4 Environmental impact categories 102.5 Temporal aspects 102.6 Multi-functionality and allocation 10
3 Method 113.1 Approach 113.2 Inventory of inputs and outputs 113.3 Emission factors and conversion factors 113.4 Data sources and quality assessment 113.5 Documentation of assumptions and calculations 12 Land use change (LUC) 12 Treatment of fossil, biogenic and atmospheric carbon 12
4 Results 134.1 Overview 134.2 Contribution Analysis 144.3 AvoidedLandfill 15
5 Discussion and Interpretation 165.1 Benefittoprojectgoingforward 16
6 Critical Review 17
7 References 18
Appendix 1 19
Appendix 2 26Input and Outputs 27MajorEmissionfactorsandconversionfactors 30Modelled Waste Composition 32
Appendix 3 33
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DOCUMENT CONTROL
VERSION DATE ISSUED PREPARED BY QUALITY CONTROL REVIEW1 08/04/2021 Dinesh Jayasuriya
Principal EngineerSusmet
Michael TerrySenior Energy Strategist & Solar EngineerSusmet
Disclaimer:ThisprojectreceivedfundingfromARENAaspartofitsAdvancingRenewablesProgram.TheviewsexpressedhereinarenotnecessarilytheviewsoftheAustralianGovernment,andtheAustralianGovernmentdoesnotacceptresponsibility for any information or advice contained herein.
The report has been prepared by Sustainometrics Pty Ltd (Susmet) for East Rockingham Waste to Energy for use solely bytheclientandARENA.Itshouldnotberelieduponbyanyoneelse.Nootherwarranty,expressedorimplied,ismade in this report.
Dataprovidedbytheclientandotherexternalsourceswereassumedtobecorrectandtheconclusionsorrecommendations in this report are based on this assumption. Susmet does not accept responsibility for inaccuracies in the data supplied by any other party.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CONTEXTEast Rockingham Waste to Energy plant is a Waste to Energy facility currently under construction south of Perth. On completion, the facility is expected to annually recover energy from 300,000 tonnesofwaste,andsupply231,680megawatthoursofelectricitytotheWesternAustralianelectricity grid. It is also expected to annually recover 7,253 tonnes of metals and 65,596 tonnes of recycledaggregatefromthewastestreamthatwouldotherwisebelandfilled.
AProofofConceptLifeCycleAssessmentincompliancewiththeAustralianRenewableEnergyAgencyrequirementswascarriedoutfortheEastRockinghamWastetoEnergyplantandthisisasummary report for the study. The study compares the greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel resource depletion resulting from the East Rockingham Waste to Energy facility to the reference systemofblackcoalpowergeneration.Theimpactofco-productssuchasavoidedlandfillandrecoveryofmetalsandaggregateswasincludedintheassessmentofthefacility.
TheaudienceforthisreportisARENAandERWTE.Giventhespecificcontextandnatureofthisstudy, this report should not be used by anyone other than the intended audience.
RESULTSThestudyresultsaresummarisedbelow.AsrequiredbytheARENALCAguidelines,thereferencesystem for this LCA is electricity generation from black coal and supplied to the Western Australian grid. The reference system is intended as the common point of comparison or the business-as-usualscenarioinaccordancewithARENA’sgoals.
IMPACT CATEGORY ERWTEREFERENCE
SYSTEMIMPROVEMENT OVER REF SYS
Electricity supplied to the Western Australian grid (MWh)
1.0 1.0 -
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2-e per MWh)
-773.9 896.9 186%
Fossil fuel energy use (MJ per MWh)
81.7 11,448.0 99%
Fossil Fuel Resource Depletion (kg oil-eq per MWh)
2.0 272.5 99%
The greenhouse gas emissions for ERWTE are -773.9 kg CO2-e per MWh. The ERWTE performance representsa186percentimprovementoverthereferencesystem,whichisagreenhousegasemission reduction of 387,104 tonnes of CO2-e per annum.
The fossil fuel energy use for ERWTE is 81.7 MJ per MWh and fossil fuel resource depletion is 2 kg oil-eqperMWh,whichisa99percentimprovementoverthereferencesystem.Thisisareductionof 62,686 tonnes of oil-eq per annum.
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1 INTRODUCTION
East Rockingham Waste to Energy (ERWTE) facility is under construction in the Rockingham Industry Zone 42kmsouthofPerth.WastetoEnergy(WtE)plantsarealsoknownasEnergyfromWaste(EfW)plants.On completion, the facility is expected to annually recover energy from 300,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste(MSW)andCommercialandIndustrial(C&I)waste,andsupply231,680megawatthours(MWh)of electricity to the Western Australian (WA) South West Interconnected System (SWIS) electricity grid. It is also expected to annually recover more than 7,253 tonnes of metals and 65,596 tonnes of recycled aggregatefromthewastestreamthatwouldotherwisebelandfilled.
Theprojectwillincorporatea31MWelectricitygeneratorandanincineratorbottomash(IBA)treatmentplant to manufacture recycled aggregates. Inert materials are recovered after the thermal process, including sand, bricks, metals, glass, and other inert materials. After metals are removed, the material is crushed and screened to produce a recycled aggregate product called incinerator bottom ash aggregates (IBAA).Overall,thefacilityisexpectedtoachievea96%diversionofresidualwastefromlandfill.
Site under construction
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1.1 LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTThe$511millionERWTEprojectreceivedan$18millionrecoupablegrantfromtheAustralianRenewableEnergyAgency(ARENA).Aspartofthefundingagreement,ERWTEisrequiredtocarryoutaLifeCycleAssessment(LCA).TheARENALCAguidelinesaredetailedinLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bioenergy Products and Projects (October 2016).1 These guidelines specify thataProofofConcept(PoC)LCAmustbeundertakenintheearlystageofprojectdevelopment.
The LCA guidelines are built on these international standards:
• ISO 14040 – Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Principles and frame-workdescribestheprinciplesandframeworkforlifecycleassessment.
• ISO 14044 – Environmental management standard — Life cycle assessment, Requirements and guidelines is an important standard, and the underpinning original standard on require-ments for LCA.
• ISO/TS 14067 – Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communicationisatechnicalspecificationforcalculationofcarbonfootprintsofproducts,whicharethecumulativeGHGemissionsacrossaproductlifecycle.ItisrelevanttoquantifyingthetotalGHGemissionsofabioenergyproduct.
• ISO 13065 – Sustainability criteria for bioenergy provides valuable guidance for Bioenergy projects,inparticularthesectiononGHGmethodologies,assessmentandcomparisons.
ThisPoCLCAstudywasproducedandreviewedbyateamofexperiencedengineers(seeAppendix3)basedontheLCAguidelines,andwithdirectrelianceontheabovestandardswhenneeded.ThemodellingwasbasedondatacollectedbetweenDecember2020andMarch2021.
1.2 REPORT STRUCTUREThe structure of this report is based on the requirements in the LCA guidelines. The next section, PoC LCA Requirements, addresses overreaching requirements in the LCA guidelines, such as the goal of the study, the system boundary, and the environmental impact categories. The Method section outlines the overall research process including inventory inputs and outputs, conversation factorsanddataquality.TheResultssectionsummarisestheresultsalongwithcontributingfactorstotheresult.Finally,theDiscussionandInterpretationsectionanalysestheresultandthebenefitsoftheproject.
1ARENA;LifeCycleAssessment(LCA)ofBioenergyProductsandProjects.October2016. Obtainedfromhttps://arena.gov.au/assets/2017/02/AU21285-ARENA-LCA-Guidelines-AW2.pdf
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2 PoC LCA REQUIREMENTS
This section addresses the overarching requirements in the LCA guidelines, including the study goal, the system boundary and the environmental impact categories.
2.1 GOAL OF STUDYThegoaloftheLCAistomeettheARENArequirementsandprovideinsightsintotheenvironmentalimpactsofdifferentfeedstockoptionsavailabletotheproject.
ThestatedaimsoftheARENALCAguidelinesareto:
• Providebioenergyproponentswithinsightsintotheenvironmentalbenefitsandrisksacrossthefulllifecycleofbioenergyproducts/projects.
• Guidemoreeffectivedecision-makingbyprovidinga‘levelplayingfield’benchmarkthatenablesARENAtocompareprojectsagainstconventionalgenerationorfueloptions.
• Support‘duediligence’byensuringtheprojectssupportedbyARENAareabletodeliveranetbenefitinenvironmentalterms,e.g.greenhousegas(GHG)footprintorenergybalance.
• Understandwheretheinnovationgaps/opportunities/‘hotspots’lieintermsofthetechnicalmaturationofnovelpathwaysandapproaches.
• Enableknowledgesharing,including:
- Provideasolidbasisforcommunicationofprojectimpactsandbenefitstothecommunity.
- Provideanalyseswithrobustcomparabilitytonon-biofuelalternativesthatarefunctionally similar.
- Provide high quality LCA outputs for independent scrutiny by other LCA experts, academics,non-governmentorganisations(NGOs)etc.
In addition, the purpose of the PoC LCA is:
• ForARENAto:
- Haveconfidencethattechnologiesproducerenewableenergywithafavourableoverallenvironmentalimpactprofile,primarilyinrelationtoembodiedfossilenergyandGHGbalance.
- Acquireinsightintoenvironmentaladvantagesandrisksassociatedwithtechnologies.
• ForARENAprogramparticipantsto:
- Provide insights into environmental challenges of different feedstocks and technologies.
- Createalevelplayingfieldcomparisonagainstcurrentfossilfuelenergysources.
- Provide‘hotspot’analysisofenvironmentalimpactsandbenefitstoguidedevelopments.
- SupportknowledgesharingobligationsassociatedwithanARENAfundingagreement.
TheaudienceforthestudywillbeARENAandERWTE.Giventhespecificcontextandnatureofthis study, this report should not be relied upon by anyone other than the intended audience.
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2.2 FUNCTIONAL UNIT, REFERENCE FLOWS AND REFERENCE SYSTEMThefunctionalunitandthereferencesystemasrequiredbytheLCAGuidelinesareshowninTable1.
ThefunctionalunitoftheWtEplantgeneratingelectricityfromwasteisthesupplyof1 MWh of electricitytotheWesternAustraliangrid.Notethatthefunctionalunitwaschangedfrom1kWhinthe LCA guidelines to 1 MWh to provide more meaningful impact numbers.
TheLCAguidelinesrequirethatthisLCAbecomparedtoareferencesystemwheretheERWTEfacility does not exist. The mandated reference system for this LCA is electricity generation from blackcoal.AusLCIdatawasusedas-isforthereferencesystemwithnocut-offconsideration.
Table 1: Reference fuel and functional unit
BIOENERGYFUEL SOURCE
OUTPUT (ELECTRICITY, HEAT, TRANSPORT FUEL, OTHER)
REGION / APPLICATION
REFERENCE FUEL
FUNCTIONAL UNIT
Biomass Combustion for electricity, baseload
WA Electricity (black coal) WA
Production of 1 MWh of electricity supplied to WA grid
2.3 SYSTEM BOUNDARY AND CUT-OFF CRITERIA APPLIED ThesystemboundaryfortheLCAandtheERWTEsiteboundaryareshowninFigure1.
AspertheLCAguidelines,thedefaultboundaryforthefunctionalunitiscradle(i.e.wastecollection)togate(i.e.electricitysuppliedtothegrid).Forothermassandenergyflows,cradletogateimpactswereconsideredforproducts(e.g.recoveredmetals)andcradletograveforwaste(e.g.fluegasresiduedisposaltolandfill).
Thecollectionofwastefromvarioussitesandtransporttothewastetransferstationoccursinthereferencesystem,sothesewereexcludedfromtheLCAboundary.Thewasteistheneithersent to the landfill in the reference system or diverted to ERWTE site. The ERWTE site is very close (around one km) to the main Perth Metropolitan landfill.
Thesystemboundaryincludesallmaterialandenergyflowsfromthesite,includingbothco-products(e.g.recycledmetals)andwaste.
Acut-offcriterionwasusedtoexcludeminorflowsfromthesystemboundary.Thecut-offforindividualflowsisonepercent,withacumulativecontributionoffivepercentorless.
TheembodiedimpactofcapitalequipmentandinfrastructurewasexcludedfromtheLCAgiven that the production system is estimated to have a 30-year life and does not require the establishment of significant supporting physical infrastructure, such as dedicated roads, rail, pipelines or inter-modal change facilities.
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Figure 1: LCA System Boundary
Municipal Waste
Collection & Transport
Transfer Station
Commercial and
Industrial Waste
WeighbridgeElectricity from grid
Diesel fuel
Water
Quicklime
Activated carbon
Urea
Avoided landfill
Air emissions
Disposal to landfill
Bunker
Grapple & feed hopper
Combustion chamber
Water treatment Steam
turbine generator
Flue gas treatment
Bottom ash extractor
Water bath
Bottom ash treatment plant
Recovered metals
Recycled aggregate
Electricity to grid
External user
ERW
TE S
ite
LCA
Sys
tem
Bou
ndar
y
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2.4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CATEGORIESThe impact assessment categories and models for this PoC LCA required by the LCA guidelines are showninTable2.
Table 2: Impact assessment categories
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION CHARACTERISATION MODEL
Climate change, GWP100 Measured in kg CO2 equivalents (kg CO2-e).
IPCC 5th Assessment Report model based on 100-year timeframe (Myhre, et al., 2013)
Fossil fuels resource depletion (abiotic depletion, fossil fuels)
Measured in kg oil equivalent (kg oil-eq).
All fossil energy carriers based on relative scarcity (Goedkoop, et al., 2009).
Fossil fuel energy use (net calorificvalue)
Measured in MJ.
2.5 TEMPORAL ASPECTS The WtE production plant is expected to commence operation in late 2022 and have an economic life of 30 years.
ThisPoCLCAmodelsthematerialsandenergyflowsduringoneyearofnormaloperation,including scheduled maintenance and upgrades.
2.6 MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY AND ALLOCATION Electricity supplied to the WA grid is considered the main product for this LCA and functional unit. The WtE process also produces multiple economically valuable co-products:
• Recoveredmetals:metalsintheincomingwastethatarerecoveredfromthebottomash.
• Recycled aggregate: remaining (i.e. non-metal) aggregate recovered from the bottom ash withmultipleapplicationssuchasuseasaconstructionaggregate.
• Avoidedlandfill:diversionofwastefromlandfill.
These co-products displace products in the market, so an environmental credit equal to these displacedproductswasprovidedtothemainproduct.Forexample,recoveringaluminiumthrough the WtE process means that aluminium need not be created from virgin materials. The greenhousegasemissionsthatwouldhaveresultedfromcreatingtheequivalentquantityofaluminium become a credit to the greenhouse gas emissions from the WtE electricity generation.
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3 METHOD
This section outlines the overall research process including inventory inputs and outputs, conversation factors and data quality.
3.1 APPROACHThisstudybeganwithanalysingthemainprocessstagesoftheERWTEfacilityandthenidentifyingmaterialandenergyinputandoutputflowsateachstage(seesection3.2).AsurveyofothercomparableLCAswasalsoundertakentoensureallthekeyflowswereconsidered.Theidentifiedflowsweregivenasignificanceratingbasedontheirexpectedcontributiontotheendresults,andthisratingwasusedtoprioritisethedatacollectionandaccuracyofthemoresignificantflows.
Giventhesiteisstillunderconstruction,thedataavailabilitywasunknownatthecommencementoftheproject,somultipletypesofdatawerecollected,andmultiplecalculationmodelswerecreated.Themodelswerecreatedusingaspreadsheetandutilisedfreelyaccessibledata(egAusLCI).Thentheoptimalcalculationmodelsalongwiththeirdatasourcesweredetermined(seeAppendix2),usuallybasedondataqualityconsiderations(seesection3.4),consistencyofcalculationsbetweenthevariousimpactcategoriesinthisstudy,andconsistencywithcomparableLCAstudies.
TheresultsofthisstudywerecomparedagainstothercomparableLCAstudiesandanysignificantdifferenceswereanalysed.Finally,boththespreadsheetmodelandthisreportwereinternallyreviewedforqualitycontrolandanexternalcriticalreviewwasconducted(seesection6).
3.2 INVENTORY OF INPUTS AND OUTPUTSTheinventoryofinputsandoutputswithinthesystemboundaryisdiagrammaticallyshowninFigure1.ThesearequantifiedinAppendix2.
3.3 EMISSION FACTORS AND CONVERSION FACTORSThese are listed in Appendix 2.
3.4 DATA SOURCES AND QUALITY ASSESSMENTThedatasourcesaredocumentedalongwiththeinventoryandfactorsinAppendix2.
Site-specificdatawasusedwhereavailableorwhentheycanbederivedfrommodelling,takingaccountofsite-specificfactors.Giventhatthesiteisnotyetoperational,actualoperationaldatawasnotavailablesoafulldataqualityassessmentwillneedtobeundertakenintheCommercialisationLCA.ThesimplifiedandpreliminarydataqualityassessmentisshowninTable3.
Table 3: Data Quality Assessment
DATASOURCE OF DATA RELIABILITY COMPLETENESS
CORRELATION (TIME, GEOGRAPHY, TECHNOLOGY)
ERWTE Input and Output Sources
ERWTE reports and estimates
Qualifiedestimates by industrial experts
Representative databut from a smallernumber of sites andshorter periods
Models and estimates of future data for current site and technology
Reference System
AusLCI Verifieddatabased onmeasurement
Representativedata from asufficientsampleof sites over anadequate period
Time and technology: Recent data based on technology under study. Geography: Average data from largerareainwhichtheareaunderstudy is included
Waste feedstock composition
NationalWaste Database 2020
Verifieddatabased onmeasurement
Representativedata from asufficientsampleof sites over anadequate period
Time and technology: Recent data based on technology under study. Geography: Average data from largerareainwhichtheareaunderstudy is included
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3.5 DOCUMENTATION OF ASSUMPTIONS AND CALCULATIONSThedatasourcesaredocumentedalongwiththeinventoryandfactorsinsectionsinAppendix2.
LAND USE CHANGE (LUC)
Due to the size, zoning and location of the ERWTE site, direct emissions from the change in the useormanagementoflandwithinsiteboundaryisexpectedtobebelowcut-off.Inaddition,LUCemissionsfromrawmaterialsotherthanwastefromoutsideofthesiteboundaryaredifficulttoanalyseatthisstageandwasassumedtobebelowcut-off.
TREATMENT OF FOSSIL, BIOGENIC AND ATMOSPHERIC CARBON
Thebiogenicandfossilcarbonflowswithinthesystemboundaryhavebeencalculatedanddocumentedseparatelyunlessstatedotherwise.
The main ERWTE production process involves combusting feedstock from the MSW and C&I wastestreamstoproduceelectricity.Giventhatthesiteisnotyetoperational,theWesternAustralianwastebreakdownfromtheNationalWasteDatabase2020wasusedtoestimatethewastefeedstockcompositionandthenthebiogeniccarboncomponentoftheincomingfuelandthemodelledairemissions(seeAppendix2).Forthesamereason,itwasassumedthatthecarbondioxide uptake by the organic materials in the feedstock is equal to the biogenic emissions during combustion. Further, given the inherent multiplicity and variability of the feedstock, it may not be possibletoreliablycalculatecarbondioxideuptakeevenifactualoperationaldatawasavailable,and this issue may need to be addressed in the Commercialisation LCA.
Thefeedstockcontainsvariouswastematerialsproducedfromfossilfuelssuchasplastics.Themanufactureofthosematerialswerenotincludedinthefossilfuelsresourcedepletionandfossilfuels energy use calculation, as the use of fossil fuels occurred outside the system boundary. They wereincludedinthegreenhousegasemissioncalculationsasthoseemissionsoccurredwithinthesystem boundary.
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4 RESULTS
4.1 OVERVIEW TheresultperfunctionalunitisshowninTable4.ThefunctionalunitisElectricitysuppliedtotheWestern Australian grid, and the results are expressed both relative to this functional unit (e.g. -773.9 kg CO2-e per MWh) and as an annual total (e.g. 231,680 MWh per annum). The ERWTE resultandtheReferenceSystemresultwerealignedatthefunctionalunittoenablecomparisonofthethreeimpactcategories.Theimprovementoverthereferencesystemwascalculatedbysubtracting the ERWTE result from the reference system result and then dividing by the reference system result.
Table 4: Functional Unit Results
IMPACT CATEGORY ERWTEREFERENCE
SYSTEMIMPROVEMENT OVER REF SYS
Electricity supplied to the Western Australian grid (MWh)
1.0(231,680 pa)
1.0(231,680 pa)
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2-e per MWh)
-773.9(-179,302,933 pa)
896.9(207,802,937 pa)
186%
Fossil fuel energy use (MJ per MWh)
81.7(18,920,150 pa)
11,448.0(231,680 MWh pa)
99%
Fossil Fuel Resource Depletion (kg oil-eq per MWh)
2.0(437,799 pa)
272.5(63,124,089 pa)
99%
The greenhouse gas emissions for ERWTE are -773.9 kg CO2-e per MWh. The negative ERWTE value represents a saving of greenhouse gas emissions for the facility, mostly due to avoided landfill(seesection4.2).TheERWTEperformancerepresentsa186percentimprovementoverthereferencesystem,whichisagreenhousegasemissionreductionof387,104tonnesofCO2-e per annum.
The fossil fuel energy use for ERWTE is 81.7 MJ per MWh and fossil fuel resource depletion is 2 kg oil-eqperMWh,whichisa99percentimprovementoverthereferencesystem.Thisisareductionof 62,686 tonnes of oil-eq per annum.
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4.2 CONTRIBUTION ANALYSISThevariousinputandoutputgroupsthatcontributedtheERWTEresultsaboveareshowninFigure 2.
Thecontributionanalysisshowsthatavoidedlandfillisthemaincontributorforgreenhousegasemission savings from the facility, accounting for -964.50 kg CO2-e/MWh.Thiscontrastswiththe second main contributor, the direct emissions from the WtE combustion process (WtE Air Emissions) of 268.90 kg CO2-e/MWh.Avoidedlandfillisfurtherdiscussedinsection4.3.
Quicklime is the main contributor for fossil fuel energy use and resource depletion and accounts for1.30kg-oileqv/MWh.ThesecondmaincontributorisUrea,whichaccountsforjust0.30kg-oileqv / MWh.
-100% -80% -60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY
FOSSIL FUELRESOURCE DEPLETION
GHG EMISSIONS
Waste as fuel WtE Air Emissions Support fuel Transport Ash Disposal to Landfill
Avoided Landfill Ash Recycled Urea Quicklime
Figure 2: Contribution Analysis for ERWTE results
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4.3 AVOIDED LANDFILLAsshownincontributionanalysis(section4.2),avoidedlandfillisthemaincontributorforgreenhouse gas emission savings from the facility, accounting for -964.50 kg CO2-e / MWh. Avoidedlandfillfigureisverysensitivetothewastecompositionandtheaveragelandfillmethanecapture.Whilereliablebackgrounddatawasusedforwastecomposition(seesection3.5),theaveragelandfillmethanecapturefigurewasfoundtobeverydependentonthelandfill.Basedondiscussionswithlocallandfills,amaximummethanecaptureof60%seemspossibleso50%assumedasthelikelyaveragemethanecapturefortheavoidedlandfillcalculations.However,thisfiguremaybemuchlessforlandfillsinotherareas,especiallyolderlandfills.
Toaddressthisvariability,impactofdifferentlandfillmethanecaptureratesontheERWTEgreenhousegasemissionsweremodelledandtheresultisshowninFigure3.
-2,100 -1,600 -1,100 -600 -100 400
0%
40%
50%
60%
ERWTE GHG Emissions (kg CO2-e / MWh)
AVE
RAG
E LA
ND
FILL
MET
HA
NE
CAPT
URE
D
Waste as fuel WtE Air Emissions Support fuel Transport Ash Disposal to Landfill
Avoided Landfill Ash Recycled Urea Quicklime
Figure 3: Sensitivity Analysis for Average Landfill Methane Captured
Itshouldbenotedthattheavoidedlandfillcalculationsonlyincludemethaneemissions.Therearelikelytobeotherinputandoutputflowsatalandfillsuchasdieseluse,electricityconsumptionandelectricitygeneration,butthesesourceswerenotmodelledastheywerehighlyvariablebetweenlandfills,includinglocallandfills,andwerelikelytobeminorincomparisontothemethaneemissions.
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5 DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION
ThisisaPoCLCAfortheprojectedERWTEelectricitygeneration.ThefinalresultnumberswerebasedonmodelleddataandwillneedtobevalidatedwithproductiondataintheCommercialisationLCA.However,itisclearthatWtEelectricityispreferabletothereferencesystemofblackcoalelectricitygeneration for the impact categories of GWP, fossil fuel energy use and fossil fuel resource depletion.
5.1 BENEFIT TO PROJECT GOING FORWARDThisstudyoutlinesthestrengthsofthisWtEplantcomparedtotheReferenceSystemaswellaswherethedataneedstobeimproved.Theseresultsmaybeusedtoassessthegreenhouseemissionswhenfinalisingthewastefeedstockcommercialagreements.Specifically,duetotheimpactofavoidedlandfillemissions,increasingtheproportionoforganicfeedstockislikelyto haveahigherbenefitthanincreasingtheproportionoffossilfuelfeedstock.
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6 CRITICAL REVIEW
ThiscriticalreviewiscompliantwiththeARENALCAGuidelinessection2.11.WhiletheLCAGuidelinesdonotrequireacriticalreviewforaPoCLCA,thisPoCLCAvoluntarilyunderwentthecriticalreviewbyanALCASCertifiedPractitionerinordertoimplementahigherstandardofpractice.
ThecriticalreviewerforthisprojectwasDrOlubukolaTokedefromDeakinUniversitywhoisalsoaLife Cycle Assessment Certified Professional(LCACP).ThereportfromthecriticalreviewerisshowninAppendix 1.
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7 REFERENCES
• ARENA.(2016,October)Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bioenergy Products and Projects.
• Ramboll. (2018, December). Kwinana Waste To Energy Project Arena Life Cycle Assessment.
• RSK. (2019, July). Synthetic fuel manufacture Proof of Concept LCA (public version).
• Nyunt.(2020).National Waste Database 2020. FinalNWR2020version2(downloaded07/01/2020).
• AusLCI.(2021).Datasets.Downloaded01/03/2021fromTheAustralianLifeCycleInventoryDatabase Initiative: http://alcas.asn.au/AusLCI/index.php/Datasets.
• Dastjerdi.(2019).Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, An evaluation of the potential of waste to energy technologies for residual solid waste in New South Wales, Australia.
• Randell. (2014). Waste generation and resource recovery in Australia - Reporting period 2010/11, wgrra-workbook.xlsx,WAworksheet(downloaded07/01/2020).
• Goedkoop, et al. (2009). A life cycle impact assessment method which comprises harmonised category indicators at the midpoint and the endpoint level.
• German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI). ÖKOBAUDAT. Accessed on01/03/2021athttps://www.oekobaudat.de/en/database/database-search.html.
• Australian Government. (2020). National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2020.
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APPENDIX 1
Critical Review Report (attached)
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Jason Pugh, General Manger - Commercial East Rockingham Waste-to-Energy Plant 26 Office Rd, East Rockingham, WA, 6168 PO Box 85, Como, WA, 6952
Dr. Olubukola (Bukky). O. Tokede, PhD, IEAust, LCACP, Lecturer in Construction Management (Construction Economics and Management) Research Theme Leader: Cradle to Cradle Construction, of the Live+Smart Research Lab School of Architecture & Built Environment, Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, School of Architecture and Built Environment
Geelong Waterfront Campus, Deakin University 1 – 11 Gheringhap Street, VIC 3220 deakin.edu.au
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Page 2 Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, School of Architecture and Built Environment
Geelong Waterfront Campus, Deakin University 1 – 11 Gheringhap Street, VIC 3220 deakin.edu.au
Overall review of East Rockingham Waste-to-Energy Plant Life Cycle Assessment
General Aspects Overall Comments
1 The methods have been used in accordance with the ISO14040/14044 international standard and ARENA Guidelines
Yes, to a high degree, and with careful attention to details
2 The methods are scientifically and technically varied
Yes, the standard has been followed, and also in line with the ARENA Guidelines
3 Applied data is appropriate and reasonable and has been verified by participating LCACP professional
The data applied is appropriate and reasonable and has been obtained from most updated public databases. In situations, where data has been challenging, discussion with the client and the team, have led to deference to the best available science.
4 The modelling follows the best guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment in Australia
Overall, the modelling has been done in accordance with the appropriate impact assessment guidance from Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society
5 The assessment report is transparent and consistent
The assessment is transparent and consistent. There have been data issues in relation to the avoided landfills and recovered materials, but a sensitivity analysis has been suggested to accommodate the inexactness in this metrics.
6 The results are well supported The results are well supported by the analysis conducted
Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
Page 3 Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, School of Architecture and Built Environment
Geelong Waterfront Campus, Deakin University 1 – 11 Gheringhap Street, VIC 3220 deakin.edu.au
Checklist
The following should be covered by the report
Aspects from ISO14044 (2006) Comments
1. General aspects
1.1 The Life Cycle Assessment Certified Professional of the Life Cycle Assessment
Although, not a requirement of the ARENA proof-of-concept LCA, the process has been conducted with the assistance and input of a certified LCACP.
1.2 report date is recorded The report date is reported
1.3 Statement that the assessment has been carried out in accordance with the requirements of ISO14044
The assessment has been conducted in accordance with IS014044
2. Goal of the Assessment 2.1 Reason for carrying out the study
2.2 its intended application
2.3 the target audience
2.4 Statement as to whether the study is intended to support comparative assertions intended to be disclosed to the public
3. Scope of the Study
3.1 Function, including
a) Statement of performance characteristics, and
b) Any omission of additional functions in comparison
3.2 Functional unit, including
a) Consistency with goal and scope
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b) Definition
c) Results of performance measurement
3.3 System boundary, including Cradle-to-gate
a) Omission of life cycle stages processes or data needs
, as consistent with system boundary
b) Quantification of energy and material inputs and outputs, and
c) Assumptions about electricity production
3.4 cut-off criteria for initial inclusions of inputs and outputs, including
a) Description of cut-off criteria and assumptions
Not clearly stated
b) Effect of selection on results
c) Inclusion of mass, energy and environmental criteria
4 Life cycle inventory analysis
4.1 data collection procedure
4.2 qualitative and quantitative description of unit processes
4.3 sources of published literature
4.4 calculation procedures
4.5 validation of data, including
a) Data quality assessment
b) Treatment of missing data
4.6 sensitivity analysis for refining the system boundary
Advised, to be conducted, and certified by LCACP professional, although not an immediate requirement for the LCA
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4.7 allocation principles and procedures including:
a) Documentation and justification of allocation procedures
b) Uniform application of allocation procedures
5 Life Cycle Impact Assessment, where applicable
5.1 the LCIA procedures, calculations, and results of the study
5.2 limitation of the LCIA relative to the defined goal and scope of the LCA
5.3 the relationship of the LCIA results to the defined goal and scope, see 4.2
5.4 the relationship of the LCIA results to the LCI results, see 4.4
5.5 impact categories and category indicators considered, including a rationale for their selection, including assumptions and a reference to their source
5.6 description of or reference to all characterization models, characterization factors and methods used, including all assumptions and limitations
5.7 description of or reference to all value-choices used in relation to impact categories, characterization models, characterization factors, normalisation, grouping, weighting, and elsewhere in the LCIA, a justification for their use and their influence on the results, conclusions and recommendations
Not relevant
5.8 a statement that the LCIA results are relative expressions and do not predict impacts on category endopoints, the exceeding of thresholds, safety margins or risks, and when included as part of the LCA, also
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a) A description and justification of the definition and description of any new impact categories, category indicators or characterization models used for the LCIA
Not applicable
b) A statement and justification of any grouping of the impact categories
Based on ARENA Guideline
c) Any further procedures that transform the indicator results, and a justification of the selected, references, weighting factors etc
Not applicable
d) Any analysis of the indicator results for example, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis or use of environmental data including any implications for the results
e) Data and indicator results reached prior to any normalization, grouping, or weighting shall be made available together with the normalised, grouped or weighted results
Not applicable
6. Life cycle interpretation
6.1 the results
6.2 assumptions and limitations associated with the interpretation of results, both methodology and data related
6.3 data quality assessment
6.4 full transparency in terms of value-choices, rationales and expert judgments
7. Critical review, where applicable
7.1 name and affiliation of reviewers Dr Olubukola Tokede, Deakin University
7.2 critical review reports
7.3 responses to recommendations To be provided.
SUSMET - ERWTE POC LCA PAGE 26 of 35
APPENDIX 2
Input and Outputs
Major Emission factors and conversion factors
Modelled Waste Composition
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 27 of 35
INPUT AND OUTPUTS
REFSOURCE DESCRIPTION
I/O GROUP
QTY PER MWH UNIT INFO SOURCE COMMENTS
- ERWTE Input Sources
Si-001 Municipalsolidwaste Waste as fuel 1,014.330 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020 8000 hours of operation
Si-002 Commercial and Industrial waste
Waste as fuel 280.559 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020 8000 hours of operation
Si-003 Construction and Demolition Waste
Waste as fuel 0.000 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
Si-032 Transport - Diesel Transport 0.111 L/MWh client 03/03/2021 Transporting Ash Recycled to the marketandwastetolandfill.
Si-040 Support fuel - Electricity from grid
Support fuel 0.001 MWh/MWh client 11/12/2020 Assume 1 cold start per annum and5MWdrawover48hrspercold start
Si-041 Support fuel - Diesel Support fuel 0.124 L/MWh client 11/12/2020 Assuming 1 cold start per annum
Si-042 Mobile plant and equipment - Diesel
Support fuel 0.173 L/MWh client 11/12/2020 Front end loads in bottom ash treatment plant. Assume ~1% of site diesel.
Si-060 Ammonia/urea 40% solution Urea 0.432 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
Si-061 Quick lime (86% pure) Quicklime 14.848 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
Si-062 Activated carbon Activated Carbon
0.414 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
- - -
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 28 of 35
REFSOURCE DESCRIPTION
I/O GROUP
QTY PER MWH UNIT INFO SOURCE COMMENTS
- ERWTE Output Sources
So-001 Electricity to grid Product 1.000 MWh/MWh client 11/12/2020
So-010 Recovered Ferrous metal Ash Recycled 18.357 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
So-011 Recovered nonferrous metal - Aluminium
Ash Recycled 2.590 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020 Total recovered nonferrous metal 3,000,000kg. Assume 20% Aluminium and 80% other.
So-012 Recovered nonferrous metal - Other
Ash Recycled 10.359 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020 Total recovered nonferrous metal 3,000,000kg. Assume 20% Aluminium and 80% other.
So-013 Recycled aggregate Ash Recycled 283.132 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
So-020 Emissions to Air - CO2 (fossil) WtE Air Emissions
268.871 kg/MWh ERWTEERD,NationalWaste Database 2020
So-021 Emissions to Air - CO2 (biogenic)
WtE Air Emissions
555.887 kg/MWh ERWTEERD,NationalWaste Database 2020
So-024 Emissions to Air - CO WtE Air Emissions
824.758 kg/MWh ENVALL(2017),ERWTEFacility Environmental ReviewDocument,
Appendix 7, Table 1
Kwinana0.019g/kWh:Expectedair emissions from typical modern WTE plants versus EU limits.
So-025 EmissionstoAir-NOx WtE Air Emissions
1.740 kg/MWh ENVALL(2017),ERWTEFacility Environmental ReviewDocument,
Appendix 7, Table 1
Kwinana0.320g/kWh:Expectedair emissions from typical modern WTE plants versus EU limits.
So-027 Emissions to Air - SO2 WtE Air Emissions
0.360 kg/MWh ENVALL(2017),ERWTEFacility Environmental ReviewDocument,
Appendix 7, Table 1
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 29 of 35
REFSOURCE DESCRIPTION
I/O GROUP
QTY PER MWH UNIT INFO SOURCE COMMENTS
So-040 Fluegasashtolandfill(APCR) Ash Disposal toLandfill
51.796 kg/MWh client 11/12/2020
- - -
- Reference System Input Sources
Si-104 Black coal RefSys - Input 424 kg/MWh AusLCI
- Reference System Output Sources
So-101 Electricity RefSys - Output
1 MWh/MWh AusLCI
So-105 Emissions to Air - CO2 RefSys - Output
893 kg/MWh AusLCI
So-106 EmissionstoAir-CH4 RefSys - Output
65 g/MWh AusLCI
So-107 EmissionstoAir-N2O RefSys - Output
8 g/MWh AusLCI
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 30 of 35
MAJOR EMISSION FACTORS AND CONVERSION FACTORS
FACTOR NAME VALUE UNITS FACTOR SOURCE / COMMENTS
Biogeniccarboninwaste 67.4% Nyunt(2020),NationalWasteDatabase2020
Energy conversion from MJ to kWh
3.6 MJ/kWh
Landfillmethanecapturerate 50% Basedondiscussionswithalocallandfill.
Electricity EF 0.70 kgCO2-e/kWh AustralianGovernment,NGAFactors2020,WASWISScope2+3
Stationary Diesel EF 2,848.68 kgCO2-e/kL AustralianGovernment,NGAFactors2020,StationaryDieselScope2+3
TransportDieselEF,Heavyvehicles
2,855.24 kgCO2-e/kL AustralianGovernment,NGAFactors2020,HeavyvehiclesDieselScope2+3
Waste mix methane emissions AustralianGovernment,NGAFactors2020,Table45ANDTable46
GWP100 EFs CO2: 1CH4: 28N2O: 265SF6: 22800
GWP100 IPCC (2013), Working Group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Chapter 8: AnthropogenicandNaturalRadiativeForcing
Fossil Fuel Depletion Factors Goedkoop(2009),Alifecycleimpactassessmentmethodwhichcomprises harmonised category indicators at the midpoint and the endpoint level
Lime ADPF German Federal Ministry of the Interior, ÖKOBAUDAT, Accessed on 01/03/2021athttps://www.oekobaudat.de/en/database/database-search.html
Urea ADPF German Federal Ministry of the Interior, ÖKOBAUDAT, Accessed on 01/03/2021athttps://www.oekobaudat.de/en/database/database-search.html
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 31 of 35
FACTOR NAME VALUE UNITS FACTOR SOURCE / COMMENTS
Oil-eq Conversation Factor 41.868 GJ/t oil-eq International Energy Agency, Unit converter and glossary, Accessed on01/03/2021athttps://www.iea.org/reports/unit-converter-and-glossary#energy-units
Construction aggregate EF Transport Authorities Greenhouse Group, Feb 2013, Greenhouse Gas AssessmentWorkbookforRoadProjects.
Metal recycling EF AusLCI, “recycling steel AU S.xlsx” and “recycling aluminium AU S.xlsx”, Downloadedon01/03/2021fromhttp://alcas.asn.au/AusLCI/index.php/Datasets
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 32 of 35
MODELLED WASTE COMPOSITION
MATERIAL TYPE WEIGHT (T)
WEIGHT (% OF TOTAL)Masonry materials 15,835 5.3%
Metals 11,560 3.9%
Glass 13,090 4.4%
Asbestos 1,235 0.4%
Paints, resins, inks, organic sludges 11,505 3.8%
Mining 65 0.0%
Food organics 93,170 31.1%
Food-derivedhazardouswastes 130 0.0%
Garden organics 40,790 13.6%
Timber 8,720 2.9%
Other Organics 10,180 3.4%
Paper and cardboard 38,415 12.8%
Plastics 44,425 14.8%
Textiles, leather & rubber (excl. tyres) 9,710 3.2%
Tyres 1,040 0.3%
Total 299,870 100%
SUSMET - ERWTE POC LCA PAGE 33 of 35
APPENDIX 3
Susmet - ERWTE PoC LCA PAGE 34 of 35
TheteamforthisprojectwascomposedofDinesh Jayasuriya and Michael Terry from Susmet, and Dr Olubukola TokedefromDeakinUniversity.Dineshboretheresponsibilityforprojectdelivery,includingthedevelopingtheimpactmodelsandthisreport,withMichaelprovidingqualitycontrol reviewandOlubukolaconductingtheLCACriticalReview.
DINESH JAYASURIYADineshisthePrincipalEngineeratSusmetandhasnearlytwodecadesofprofessionalengineeringexperience.HespecialisesinSustainableEngineeringwithafocusoncorporate-levelreporting,monitoring and management of sustainability indicators and related reporting systems. Dinesh has a Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering and a Master of Public and International LawspecialisinginEnvironmentalLaw.HeisaccreditedbytheCleanEnergyRegulatorasanNGERAuditorandbytheDepartmentofIndustry,Science,EnergyandResourcesasaClimateActiveconsultant.Hehasalsoachievedmultiplecertificationsandaccreditationinsustainability and IT.
MICHAEL TERRYMichael is the Senior Energy Strategist & Solar Engineer at Susmet and has more than three decadesofprofessionalengineeringexperience.Hespecialisesinsustainabilitywithafocusondemand side management, energy procurement, corporate-level reporting and energy advisory. More recently he has added energy strategy and solar grid and hybrid alternatives to his skillset. Michael has a Master of Technology in Engineering & Management and an MBA specialising in Technology Management.
DR OLUBUKOLA (BUKKY) TOKEDEBukky is a Life Cycle Assessment Certified Professional (LCACP), a researcher in life cycle evaluation, and lectures in Construction Management at the School of Architecture & Built EnvironmentatDeakinUniversity.HisuniversityqualificationsincludeaPhDinEngineering and the Built Environment, a Master of Science in Construction Project Management, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Bukky is the research lead for the cradle-to-cradle design and constructionfortheLIVE+SMARTlaboratoryatDeakinUniversityandhaspublishedscientificarticlesonlifecycleassessmentinhigh-impactinternationaljournals.
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