Carbon emission accounting of municipal solid waste incineration disposal by means of emission-factor approach

To deal with climate change, it is necessary to control the emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG), so allocation of carbon emission shares and carbon emission trading came into being. Combined with the actual operation of Chinas waste incineration power generation industry, this paper used the emission-factor approach to calculate all GHG emissions of power plants in detail. The results show that including the positive benefits from power generation, the net emissions from waste incineration disposal services were 84,667 tCO2e, which translated to 199.36 kgCO2e/t waste. Waste incineration reduced GHG emissions by 384.51 kgCO2e/t compared with traditional landfill treatment, indicating a good carbon emission reduction effect. This study clarifies all GHG sources within the accounting boundary, covers the details of each step of the calculation process, makes carbon emission data traceable, and promotes the participation of the waste incineration industry in the carbon trading market.