Waste-to-Energy - A Burning Issue for Tomorrow's Cities


Long considered a
costly problem, municipal solid waste is now emerging as an
important revenue-generating feedstock for waste-to-energy
systems.



As municipalities look to improve energy efficiency and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions as part of their sustainability planning
initiatives, new and innovative methods for burning wastes to
generate heat and power are emerging. 



And while, at first glance, disposing of municipal wastes would
not appear to lend itself to high tech solutions, technologies that
convert waste materials such as paper and plastics to produce
synthetic gas (syngas) that, in turn, can be burned to generate
energy are changing the economics of waste management. 



What’s more, technologies that reduce the volume of solid wastes
in landfills have environmental benefits worthy of
consideration. 



Fear of toxic materials entering local
eco-systems is one of the continuing legacies of the oldest and
most widespread wasteto-energy processes - direct
incineration. 



Even though improved technologies have largely eliminated such
risks, opponents of waste-to-energy systems resist any form of
wastes incineration near homes and businesses for fear that fine
particulates, heavy metals, trace dioxins, acid gas emissions,
toxic fly ash, or incinerator bottom ash might escape into the
atmosphere or pollute sensitive urban eco-systems. 



Modern direct incineration plants must meet strict emission
standards in most countries and thus are vastly different from
older systems that in some cases did not recover energy or
materials. These new systems can reduce the volume of original
waste by 95-96 %, depending on what is being burned and what is
recovered, such as metals from the ash for recycling. 



But there is a wide variety of new technologies entering the
marketplace that are replacing direct waste incineration as a means
to generate energy. These include: 





Municipal authorities are increasingly viewing such
waste-to-energy conversion systems as potentially profitable
alternatives to direct incineration or the use of
landfills. 



And while the public sector has traditionally dominated the
waste management industry, rising oil prices, and ever-increasing
demand for energy are attracting private sector investment into the
market, now estimated to reach $28.8 Billion by 2015. (See href=”http://www.kleanindustries.com/s/environmental_market_Industry_news.asp?ReportID=484419”
target=”_blank”>Global Waste-to-Energy Market to Reach $28.8 Billion by
2015
href=”http://www.kleanindustries.com/s/environmental_market_Industry_news.asp?ReportID=484419”
target=”_blank”>.”



While Europe dominates the highly competitive world
waste-to-energy market, key players can be found on all continents.
Leading companies include Klean Industries Inc, AE&E Group GmbH, Axpo Kompogas
AG, Babcock Wilcox Volund A/S, Bedminster International Ltd.,
BiogenGreenfinch, BTA International GmbH, Community Power
Corporation, CNIM, Covanta Holding Corporation, EcoCorp Inc.,
Keppel Integrated Engineering Ltd., North American Power Group
Ltd., Organic Waste Systems NV, STRABAG Umweltanlagen GmbH, Veolia
Environmental Services, Waste Management Inc.,
and Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., among others.


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