Josep Anton Farré

Due to the increasing need for a more sustainable environment, the study of waste management strategies is increasing worldwide. Pneumatic urban waste collection is an alternative to conventional truck collection, especially in urban areas where there is a need for reducing traffic and pollution. In this study, the scientific literature on such automated waste collection systems (AWCSs) (also known as automated vacuum waste collection (AVWC) systems) is evaluated through a bibliometric analysis. The available scientific literature is found to be scarce, while there are several patents on the topic. The keywords used in the literature are mainly related to energy use, gas emissions, and the cost–benefit analysis. Moreover, the market status is presented and a summary of the environmental studies is provided. The active companies in the field are identified and a complete list of AWCSs is provided. Most of the scientific literature related to the environmental aspects of AWCSs uses the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the performance of different case studies.

Due to the increasing need for a more sustainable environment, the study of waste management strategies is increasing worldwide. Pneumatic urban waste collection is an alternative to the conventional truck collection, especially in urban areas, where there is a need of reducing traffic and its pollution. LCA is a methodology that can help in the evaluation of the environmental impact of any process or product; therefore, this study, based on the methodologies ISO 14040 and from the cradle to the grave, compares different waste collection systems in an airport. The results show that the pneumatic collection system with the innovative AutoWaste compact central unit can reduce the annual flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent for 30 years and per ton) up to 25% compared to a pneumatic collection system with a conventional central.