ENDING LANDFILLS: USING ADVANCED THERMAL TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES TO RECOVER ENERGY & RESOURCES

A number of governments and municipalities around the globe are turning to gasification technology for household waste treatment.  The need and desire to recover valuable products and/or energy from wastes in combination with limited landfill capacity has pushed them towards with technological process.  With the public more informed and conscious of environmental issues such as air pollution and CO2 emissions, the negative association of incineration, and the need to meet recycling targets, government organizations see many positives to investing in Klean’s waste-to-energy solutions.

Over a decade ago Klean entered the waste-to-energy sector using Advanced Thermal Treatment (ACT) technologies, recognizing that waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is a key component in any efficient waste management system. By using advanced thermal treatment technologies solid waste that could not be recycled by any other means is converted into environmentally-friendly energy, providing more sustainable energy supplies for the future while limiting climate change by reusing resources rather than wasting carbon.

The yields generated by a waste-to-energy facility may include electricity, district heating/cooling, steam for industrial processes, desalinated seawater, reusable commodities such as steel, and other recyclable. Residual waste that is uneconomically or environmentally unsound to recycle becomes a valuable local source of energy feedstock. Additionally, the heat produced from a waste-to-energy system is designed to power steam turbines while syngas produced by the pyrolysis or gasification technology has a variety of potential uses, the most common system configuration being to burn the syngas in a boiler to generate steam. 

The advanced thermal treatment of solid waste reduces the volume of waste, thereby preserving landfill space. It reduces the need to transport waste, absolving the cost and manpower involved in long-hauling waste, as well as the pollution from the environmental impact of transporting waste over great distances. It allows for the recovery of energy from the solid waste stream, as well as the recovery of minerals and chemicals that can be reused or recycled. Efficient waste management strategies can benefit immensely from waste-to-energy technologies and Klean is extremely pleased to offer its customers some of the most technologically advanced systems available for applications around the globe. Klean believes that waste is an underused and unappreciated asset. We are excited to be a part of the re-industrialization of our world using more sustainable energy solutions.