Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Power Plant Construction in Rasht County based on the Sustainable Development Approach

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) power plants often have negative, positive and environmental effects. Based on the sustainable development approach, assessing the environmental impact is one of the requirements for the construction of MSWI power plants which can lead to more use of its benefits, lower costs, and frustrate community discontent. In this research, separating the construction and operation phases, the desired and undesirable effects of municipal solid waste incineration power plant in the environment are predicted. Then, the studies on the environmental effects of MSWI based on two selected areas in Rasht County (Lakan and Pasiyekhan districts) were performed using the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM). The findings revealed that the first priority is allocated Lakan district with a score of -142 in the construction phase and a score of -340 at the operation phase. Pasiyekhan district with a score of -146 in the construction phase and a score of   -496 in the operation phase is not a priority. Based on the results, the construction of MSWI power plant in Rasht decreases the need for landfill which can not only have a positive effect on improving the social conditions and the satisfaction of local communities but also prevent Saravan environmental degradation process in Rasht County. Comparing the negative effects of the project implementation and activities indicate that the most negative effect in both phases is related to the physical-chemical environment. This impacts are caused by the severity of construction activities emissions of gases, dioxin and furans, unpleasant smell and MSWI ash. The interactions of environmental parameters affect the intensity and radius of their propagation. Therefore, if environmental management practices are applied, incineration can be a good way to manage waste. Extended Abstract 1-Introduction  Nowadays, the amount of waste has increased due to population growth, rapid urbanization and changes in patterns of consumption. In the solid waste management system, there are various options for managing waste according to the amount of waste produced and its composition. The waste incineration process aimed at reducing waste landfilling and energy recovery is one of the most common methods for waste disposal in some countries. The reasons such as the value of habitat, the lack of suitable lands in terms of meeting the environmental requirements, high level of groundwater and short distances of cities from each other has made the northern provinces of Iran have lots of limitation for sanitary landfilling. One of the proposed waste disposal options is the implementation and operation of the Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) power plants. MSWI power plants often have environmental impacts and potential mismatches. Impact assessment of MSWI power plant based on a sustainable development approach, as one of the requirements for the construction of MSWI power plant, will lead to more advantages including reducing costs and eliminating community dissatisfaction. The purpose of this research is to provide an optimal option for managers and planners to construct MSWI power plants in Rasht, in order to minimize the environmental impacts of this development. 2-Materials and Methods This descriptive-analytic study is based on expert opinions, field and library studies. In this regard, the environmental impact assessment of MSWI power plant in Rasht has been carried out for two proposed options in Rasht (Lakan and Pasiyekhan districts) using Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM). At first, the environmental status of the study area is described. The negative and positive impacts of MSWI power plant will be predicted during construction and operation. Then, they have been given a score by separating the environments (physical, chemical, biological, biological, social, cultural, economic, and technical). Being able to convert qualitative features to quantitative ones, RIAM method can evaluate and compares the options in a short time and illustrates the results in charts and tables. 3-Results and Discussion  Based on the results of this study, the first priority is assigned to Lakan district with a score of -142 in the construction phase and a score of -340 at the operation phase, and the second priority to Pasiyekhan district with a score of -146 in the construction phase and a score of - 496 in the operation phase. Comparison of the effects shows that the most negative effect in both phases is related to the physical-chemical components. Pasiyekhan District has more negative effects than Lakan District due to some reasons such as the remoteness of the city of Rasht and the depth of underground water. The proper utilization of MSWI power plants due to the reduction of waste landfill and energy recovery improves environmental conditions and the quality of life satisfying people in the indirect district of the present study. In addition, the results indicate that the activities of the construction and operation of MSWI power plants have adverse environmental effects on air quality in the area of deployment, soil, plants, and water resources. The major environmental hazards come from this development including the emissions of gases, dioxins, and furans, unpleasant smell and ash which are intensified, in term of parameters the intensity and radius, by  the Interactions of environmental 4-Conclusion  Regarding the environmental characteristics of Rasht County, and the findings from the evaluation of the effects of the rapid impact matrix, there are slight differences in the degree of the influence of some parameters in the studied areas. Therefore, it is imperative that management and planners in the field of waste management take the necessary precautions to comply with the required laws and policies. Therefore, compliance with environmental laws and control measures, such as the construction of airborne pollution control systems (Acid scrubbers, Bag filters, Activated carbon systems, etc.), can greatly reduce the severity and risk of hazard occurrence. Designing corrective actions through engineering operations and management plans are effective in reducing the adverse environmental impacts at each stage. If, from the outset, by doing EIA, environmental considerations are taken into account in the development plans by doing EIA and making an integration between the environmental policies and development plans, ay harmful effects will be prevented. Also, in order to understand the environmental performance of waste disposal methods better, it is suggested not only to use other quantitative-maker tools of environmental impact minimization but also to apply far more areas beyond the local scale of projects such as stain methods and environmental risk assessment in future studies.