Analysis of Alternative MSW Treatment Technologies with the Aim of Energy Recovery in the Municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni

The alternative municipal solid waste (MSW) management is directly linked to the reduction of the biodegradable fraction and total waste mass disposed to landfill sites. Nowadays, the design and implementation of flexible plants with thermal or biological treatment methods are recommended by European and National legislations as an extremely sustainable waste management strategy in terms of this purpose, capable of assuring the protection of the environment and human health as well as the production of renewable energy. This paper focuses on the techno-economic analysis of an integrated mechanical–biological treatment scheme which includes the technology of anaerobic digestion (AD) for combined heat and power (CHP). Additionally, the main design and technical parameters of the biogas to energy project under consideration as well as the local conditions and legal requirements are reviewed. The goal is to investigate the prospects of profitability arisen in the longer term by the integration of a small scale MSW concept and the replacement of the current practice of waste disposal for a suburban municipality of Athens.