Decarbonizing municipal solid waste incineration: A review of carbon accounting, synergistic mitigation technologies, and policy frameworks

Abstract

Driven by the "dual carbon" and "zero-waste city" strategies in China, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is transitioning from a treatment terminal into a critical urban carbon flow hub. This study reviews the carbon accounting systems, full-chain carbon emission reduction technologies, and macro-environmental policy frameworks for MSWI decarbonization. Traditional static accounting can overestimate emissions by up to 40%, necessitating a shift toward dynamic monitoring, reporting, and verification systems that integrate 14 CO 2 isotopes and digital twins.Technologically, the carbon emission reduction paradigm has shifted to a "sourceprocess-sink" synergy that enhances targeted fossil carbon sorting at the source, unleashes the thermal potential of MSWI via intelligent combustion control, and strategically focuses on the accelerated mineralization and building material substitution of ash at the sink. Life-cycle economic analyses confirmed that the "treating waste with waste" approach is commercially viable. Ultimately, to realize the full carbon emission reduction potential of MSWI, the underlying pollution control standards must be revised to incorporate mitigation benefits into compliance exemption systems. Moreover, deep integration with carbon markets is required to drive the evolution of MSWI toward a regional negative-carbon energy paradigm.