Kenji Yasuda

Kanagawa Prefectural Environmental Research Center Environmental Engineering Devision
(842 Nakahara-Shimojuku, Hiratsuka-city, 254 Japan)

Abstract

To estimate the amount of greenhouse gases generated by waste incineration in Japan, the emission behavior and flux of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were observed at municipal solid waste and industrial waste incinerators. Estimated CO2 emissions in 1993 were 12,653Gg-C (46,395Gg-CO2) in Japan, which is almost 3.6% of annual CO2 emissions. Waste incineration CH4 emissions were estimated to be 13.1Gg-CH4, only 1% of the total. The emissions of N2O were higher at sludge incineration plants than that of other plants, especially those with fluidized bed incinerators. The total N2O emissions from waste incineration in 1993 was estimated to be 7.6Gg-N2O, or about 10% of the annual total.

Key words: greenhouse gases, waste incineration, emission factor, emission, emission rate