Acknowledgement

Introduction

Table of Contents

Appendices

- National Circumstances
 
- Greenhouse Gases Inventory
 
- Energy
 
- Industrial Processes Inventory
 
- Solvent and Other Product Use

- Agriculture
 
- Land Use Change and Forestry
 
- Waste Management
 
- Summary of Baseline Scenario
 
- Baseline Scenario Without
  Climate Change

- Expected Impacts of Climate Change
 
- Project Proposals & Recommendations
  for Future Work
 
- Bio-Climatic Zones
 
- Constraints Facing Climate Change Studies

 
2.7.1 INTRODUCTION

The waste management section of this report deals with two sectors: land disposal of solid waste and wastewater treatment. It provides background information on the type of emissions that contribute to the greenhouse gases from these two sectors, presents the current status in Lebanon of both sectors, describes the methodology followed to estimate the corresponding emissions, and presents the results obtained regarding greenhouse emissions which will be evaluated in the context of their potential contribution to the global warming effect. This section does not estimate emissions from solid waste incineration which is addressed in the energy sector.

2.7.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Solid waste including municipal, commercial and industrial wastes, as well as municipal wastewater contains a large percentage of organic materials which can decompose under appropriate environmental conditions. In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), the decomposition process produces primarily methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and insignificant quantities of other gases. This process is carried to completion through a series of microbial populations the most important of which are referred to as methanogens or methane producing bacteria. These latter are sensitive to the waste composition and several environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and availability of nutrients. Assuming that favourable conditions for methane production persist, the objective of the present work is to estimate the amount and type of emissions from solid waste disposal and wastewater treatment.

2.7.3 SECTOR STATUS IN LEBANON

A. SOLID WASTE

Until recently, a comprehensive approach to solid waste management in Lebanon has been virtually absent. For the project year 1994, slow burning and uncontrolled dumping on hillsides and on seashores were still the common methods practised for solid waste disposal. In urban areas, uncontrolled open dumps became quite large particularly along the coastal front (The Normandy and Burj Hammoud sites in Beirut, and the Nahr Abu Ali site in Tripoli, etc.). Incineration was also practised at two relatively old facilities (Karantina and Amrousiyeh). Certainly the trend is changing and there is a great deal of effort to develop integrated solid waste management systems for most areas in Lebanon, particularly large urban areas. These efforts centre on the construction of many well-controlled sanitary landfills in combination with sorting, recycling, and composting facilities.

As such, data on solid waste disposal quantities for the target year of 1994 are relatively unreliable because of the uncontrolled nature of waste disposal and the general absence of weighing scales at disposal facilities. Therefore, the total daily quantity of waste generated has been generally expressed as a daily per capita generation rate multiplied by the number of population. Often these rates account for solid waste from commercial and industrial sources since the latter are not separated from regular household waste.

Following this approach, several survey studies have been conducted to estimate waste generation rates by examining small daily samples from a large number of communities of different sizes. The most relevant of these studies with respect to the 1994 target year, is a survey conducted by the American University of Beirut (1, 2). Table 6-1 presents generation rates for different localities (Caza) in Lebanon as reported in this study.

Table 6-1 Solid Waste Generation Rates for Different Cazas
 

For estimation purposes, a rate of 0.8 kg/capita/day has been commonly used (3). Using this rate coupled with numbers on population estimates for the target year 1994, the total quantity of solid waste produced in different localities (Mohafazat) of Lebanon are calculated as presented in Table 6-2.

The composition of the solid waste quantities reported above vary substantially with socio-economic conditions, location, season, waste collection and disposal methods, sampling and sorting procedures, and many other factors. Table 6-3 presents average composition of unsorted municipal solid waste from the Beirut area. Despite the variability in its composition, solid waste in Lebanon as in most developing countries can be characterised by a high percentage of total organic content with relatively elevated moisture content.

Table 6-3 Composition of Unsorted MSW (1, 2)
 

B. WASTEWATER

Similar to solid waste, municipal wastewater management in Lebanon has been absent particularly during the many years of civil unrest during which existing treatment plants were destroyed and/or put out of operation. The general trend for wastewater management in urban areas along the seashores where the greater majority of the population resides has been limited to a deteriorated wastewater collection system that typically discharges into the sea. In other urban as well as rural areas, untreated wastewater is directly dumped into rivers, irrigation channels, valleys, and ravines as well as septic systems and then land disposal.

While numerous projects are underway to construct treatment plants around the country, for the target year 1994 and today, there are virtually no operational wastewater treatment plants in Lebanon.

Data on wastewater quantities for the target year of 1994 are typically estimated using a daily per capita average wastewater generation rate multiplied by the number of population. The daily per capita average rate can vary with location and season. For estimation purposes, a rate of 120 litre/capita/day has been reportedly commonly used for Lebanon (3, 4).

Wastewater is typically characterised in terms of several parameters such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and nitrates amongst other parameters. Table 6-4 summarises available information on wastewater characteristics in Lebanon (4).

Table 6-5 Total Quantity of Wastewater Generation for Different Mohafazats
 

2.7.4 METHODOLOGY FOR EMISSION ESTIMATION

A. SOLID WASTE

The revised default methodology developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was followed in order to estimate emissions from solid waste disposal on land (5). The method follows a mass balance approach that involves estimating the degradable organic carbon (DOC) content of the solid waste to calculate the amount of CH4 that can be generated by the waste.

Note that degradation processes will typically generate an approximately equivalent percent by volume of CO2. However, the IPCC methodology assumes that the decomposition of organic material derived from biomass sources (e.g. crops, forests) which are re-grown on an annual basis is the primary source of CO2 released from waste. Hence, CO2 emissions from land disposal of solid waste are not treated as net emissions from waste in the IPCC methodology. They are rather reported under the Agriculture and Land Use Change and Forestry if biomass raw materials are not being sustainably produced.

The IPCC methodology is performed in four steps that are:

Step 1. Estimation of total MSW generated and disposed of in solid waste disposal sites.

The total MSW generated for the target year 1994 was estimated at 1087.7 x103 tonnes (Table 6-2). In Lebanon, about 770 percent of the population reside in urban areas. Waste generated from these areas is typically deposited in open dumps or incinerated thus accounting for about 761x103 tonnes. Incineration at Amrousiyeh and Karantina accounted for about 400 tons/day (6), which are equivalent to 146x103 tonnes per year. Therefore, the total amount of MSW disposed of in open dumps in the year 1994 is 615x103 tonnes (615 Gg).

Step 2. Determination of the methane correction factor.

As indicated above, a good percentage of MSW is disposed of in open dumps. These dumps are unmanaged and have reached a depth far in excess of 5 meters. According to the IPCC guidelines, this corresponds to a methane correction factor of 0.8 (see attached IPCC sheet).

Step 3. Estimation of methane production rate per unit of waste.

The methane production rate per unit of waste is a direct function of the waste composition, which is presented in Table 6-3. The data in this table were used as described in the IPCC guidelines.

Step 4. Estimation of the total net annual methane emissions.

The total net annual methane emissions were calculated assuming a zero value for the methane oxidation correction factor which is a reasonable assumption given the fact that solid waste is deposited in open dumps with no potential gas entrapment at the surface of the dump. Gas will be emitted unobstructed into the atmosphere leaving no time for oxidation to occur.

B. WASTEWATER

Similar to solid waste, the revised default methodology developed by the IPCC can be followed in order to estimate emissions from wastewater and industrial waste treatment (5). The amount of methane that can be emitted is a direct function of the BOD and COD annual loading that are provided in Table 6-5. This information coupled with the type of treatment system utilised is required in order to estimate emissions.

2.7.5 RESULTS OF EMISSION ESTIMATION

A. SOLID WASTE

The total methane emissions from solid waste disposal on land are 42,804 tonnes (42.804 Gg) approximately. Methane emission estimates are summarised in Table 6 about Sectoral Report for Waste and the attached IPCC sheets.

B. WASTEWATER

There are no emissions from wastewater and industrial waste handling systems because for the target year 1994, there was no treatment facilities in Lebanon. The wastewater (municipal, commercial, and industrial) was directly discharged into the sea, rivers, ravines, or septic tanks which indicate that methane or nitrous oxide emissions are insignificant if not non-existent. Note that this situation will change in the future as treatment plants are being constructed around the country and are expected to come into operation by the year 2,000.


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References

- American University of Beirut (AUB), 1994. Fundamental Aspects of Municipal Refuse Generated in Beirut and Tripoli- Phase I. Funded by the Lebanese National Panel, Urban Management Program.
- American University of Beirut (AUB), 1996. Fundamental Aspects of Municipal Refuse Generated in Beirut - Phase II. Funded by the Lebanese National Panel, Urban Management Program
- Environmental Resources Management (ERM), 1995. Assessment of the State of the Environment and Identification of Policy Options. Technical Report prepared for the Council of Development and Reconstruction.
- Khatib and Alami Consolidated Engineering Company. Lebanon’s staged wastewater program. Volume I: pre-feasibility report. Prepared for the Ministry of Environment. 1994.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, 1996. The Revised Guidelines for national Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Reference Manual, Volumes 2 and 3.
- Personal communication between Dr. Mutasem Fadel of the American University of Beirut and Mr. Ayman Ja’far of Sukkar Engineering.

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