Relevance and readiness assessment for a circular economy and industry 4.0 technologies in municipal solid waste management systems | |
| Author | Kanojia, Abhishek |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.EV-21-01 |
| Subject(s) | Solid waste management--Environmental aspects Industrial management--Environmental aspects Industry 4.0 |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering and Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The key objective of this research is to assess the relevancy and readiness of municipal solid waste management system (MSWM) for transformation of Waste 4.0. In this transformation digital technologies under the ongoing “Fourth Industrial Revolution (I4.0)” and the restorative, regenerative economic model of “Circular Economy (CE)” are considered as key enablers. This research work tried to explore the various segments of MSWM concerning I4.0 and CE. An assessment tool Waste 4.0 has been developed for urban local bodies (ULBs), which is further validated with the case studies of Indore, Jabalpur, and Sagar cities of India. Both primary and secondary data were used to develop this research. This includes field-visits, physical and online surveys, and face-to-face interviews with key persons associated with MSWM system (as primary data) and annual reports, waste management statistics, case studies and research documents (as secondary data). Integrated solid waste management (ISWM) is the most widely use framework of waste management which has two components, physical and governance. By incorporating I4.0 technologies and CE measures in these components, the conceptual framework of Waste 4.0 is created for this research work. The intervention of I4.0 technologies in different segments of MSWM are studied under the research objective, ‘development of technology-clusters’. The MSWM experts from various background from south-east Asian region were included to provide their inputs for the use of I4.0 technologies in MSWM system of the region. Similarly, for the analysis of CE intervention in MSWM system a policy document, “Indore 3R Declaration” developed by United Nation Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), was analyzed concerning the selected research cities. Recent studies advocates for the transformation of MSWM either by I4.0 technologies or by CE measures individually. While in this research, the transformation process of MSWM is analyzed under both concepts simultaneously. Waste 4.0 assessment tool developed and validated primarily to assist ULBs. The ULBs of the cities of lower- and middle-income countries lag to measure the current status and readiness level of their MSWM for Waste 4.0 transformation. The application of Waste 4.0 assessment shows that Indore’s ULB obtained “experienced” position for I4.0 readiness in MSWM while Jabalpur and Sagar achieved “Potentialist” and “Hesitator” position respectively for the same. Similarly, for CE focus in I4.0 readiness, Indore came out as “CE fast adopter” while Jabalpur and Sagar achieve “CE beginner” and “Business as usual” positions, respectively. All these assessment results were developed with the help of field data collected during the research work. Waste 4.0 assessment tool provides a detailed analysis to the ULBs which are willing to transform its business-as-usual approach in its MSWM system. Further, Waste 4.0 assessment has been transformed into an offline application tool using Microsoft-excel software. This research work explored the diverse factors of I4.0 and CE simultaneously for transforming MSWM system. The overall research outcome aims to support the ULBs to upgrade their MSWM system holistically under I4.0 and CE interventions. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Visvanathan, Chettiyappan |
| Examination Committee(s) | Dhakal, Shobhakar;Ekbordin Winijkul |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |