{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.023800234100663287, 'fraction_numerical': 0.01092469761997659, 'mean_word_length': 4.685144124168515, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
WASTE-TO- ENERGY AS A KEY COMPONENT OF INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR SANTIAGO, CHILE: A COST- BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Santiago's current solid waste management system is in crisis and faces important political, geographical and environmental challenges that make it non-sustainable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to move towards an Integrated Solid Waste Management that includes modern alternatives, such as waste-to-energy (WTE). In a " sustainable development " approach, waste should be regarded as a resource for materials and energy recovery and not simply as a product for disposal. The objective of this research is to examine what the city of Santiago is doing regarding its municipal solid waste (MSW) and to propose an Integrated Solid Waste Management for Santiago that focuses on the use of WTE as the key component. This report offers a Cost-Benefit Analysis of one WTE plant that will serve two municipalities of Santiago, La Florida and Puente Alto. The mass-burn technology of the Martin Reverse-Acting Grate was selected for a WTE plant of capacity of 1000 metric tons/per day. This plant will provide 600 KWh/ton of MSW of net electricity output to utilities, equivalent to a saving of 50 gallons (190 liters) of fuel per ton. The facility will use a total land surface area of 6 hectares. The cost-benefit analysis indicated that at the assumed gate fee (tipping fee) of USD14/ton the project has a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of $18 million at a 9% discount rate, therefore the project should be undertaken. The initial investment would be paid back in 17 years while the WTE plant would have a useful life of at least 30 years. It should be noted that the gate fee of USD14 is very low by modern standards since controlled landfilling is reported to cost USD30 to USD40 per ton. Thus, the sensitivity analysis showed that the WTE facility could charge a significantly lower fee than current landfills and still have a positive NPV. However, a very small increase or decrease in the electricity price or heating value can make a dramatic difference in profitability. Before the construction of the plant, the none-quantifiable impacts such as the environmental, social and economic factors must be carefully examined. The perception of air pollution associated with the incinerators of the past and the location of the WTE plant are factors that could generate opposition from the host community. On the other hand, modern Waste-to-Energy plants have been shown to result in a dramatic decrease in air emissions in comparison to …