Development and validation of a decision-support tool for setting up optimal organic waste valorization chains in Québec

这项研究的总体目标是开发一个用户友好的决策支持软件工具，该工具允许为魁北克省建立最优的有机废物(废水处理厂污泥和城市固体废物的来源分类有机部分)价格链。将采用整体和时空建模方法，重点关注整个价值链的成本和最大限度地减少温室气体排放，包括有机废物的产生/收集、废物处理和最终产品分配，从而考虑到立法和社会制约因素。该软件工具将集成三个关键组成部分：1)多维时空数据库系统(包括地理参考和非地理参考数据)，2)基于模型的决策模块(用于模拟和优化)，以及3)用户友好的界面(以促进知识转让和解释)。开发的工具将在魁北克市群及其周围农村环境的案例研究中得到验证。这种工具的使用将使魁北克市政当局和行业能够优化规划其废物流动的地点、容量和处理方案，以及以最低成本和环境足迹分配最终产品，同时考虑到潜在的公共滋扰和现行的环境法规。因此，该项目明确涉及可持续发展的三大支柱：环境、社会和经济。此外，该项目还将促进实现魁北克剩余材料管理政策的目标(即从2022年起禁止焚烧/处置有机废物)，这是魁北克应对气候变化行动计划的重要组成部分。工业伙伴将直接受益于在其与工业和市政当局的合同中使用开发的工具，在这些地方，由于现行的废物管理条例，对生物质定价决策支持框架的需求很高。总之，这项工作产生的工具、知识和出版物以及高素质的人员将对魁北克和加拿大循环经济具有高度的相关性。

The general objective of this research is to develop a user-friendly decision-support software tool that allows setting up optimal organic waste (wastewater treatment plant sludge and the source-sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste, notably) valorization chains for the Québec province. A holistic and spatiotemporal modelling approach will be applied, focusing on cost and greenhouse gas emission minimization throughout the whole value chain, including organic waste generation/collection, waste treatment and end-product distribution, thereby taking into account legislative and social constraints. The software tool will integrate three key components: 1) a multidimensional spatiotemporal database system (including georeferenced and non-georeferenced data), 2) a model-based decision module (for simulation and optimization), and 3) a user-friendly interface (to facilitate knowledge transfer and interpretation). The developed tool will be validated in a case study for the Québec City Agglomeration and its surrounding rural environment. The availability of such tool will allow Québec municipalities and industry to optimally plan the location, capacity and treatment scenario of their waste flows, as well as the distribution of the resulting end-products at minimum cost and environmental footprint, taking into account potential public nuisance and environmental regulations in force. As such, this project clearly addresses the three pillars of sustainable development: environment, society and economy. Moreover, the project will facilitate the achievement of the objectives of the Québec Residual Materials Management Policy (i.e. the banning of organic waste incineration/disposal from 2022 onwards), which is a crucial part of the Québec action plan on climate change. The industrial partners will directly benefit from using the developed tool in their contracts with industry and municipalities, where the demand for a decision-support framework for biomass valorization is high due to the waste regulation in force. In conclusion, the tool, knowledge and publications, as well as the highly qualified personnel resulting from this work will be of high relevance to the Québec and Canadian circular economy.