Waste To Energy: Definition

Waste to Energy
Definition :
Waste to Energy (WTE), is a term that is used to describe various technologies

that convert non-recyclable waste into usable forms of energy including heat,
fuels and electricity. WTE can occur through a number of processes such as
incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas
recovery
Introduction:
Waste is an inevitable product of society, and one of the greatest challenges for
future generations is to understand how to manage large quantities of waste in
a sustainable way. One approach has been to minimise the amount of waste
produced, and to recycle larger fractions of waste materials. However, there still
is a considerable of undesired end-products that must be taken care of, and a
more suitable solution than simple landfilling needs to be found.
The waste management sector faces a problem that it cant solve on its own. The
energy sector, However, is considered to be a perfect match, because of its
need to continuously meet a growing energy demand. Waste is now not only an
undesired product of society, but a valuable energy resource as well. Energy
recovery from waste can solve two problems at once: treating non-recyclable
and non-reusable amounts of waste; and generating a significant amount of
energy which can be included in the energy production mix in order to satisfy
the consumers needs.
The interaction between waste management solutions and energy production
technologies can vary significantly, depending on multiple factors. Different
countries across the world choose to adopt different strategies, depending on
social, economic and environmental criteria and constraints. These decisions
can have an impact on energy security, energy equity and environmental
sustainability when looking at the future of energy sector. If waste-to-energy
technologies are developed and implemented, while following sustainability
principles, then a correct waste treatment strategy and an environment-friendly
energy production can be achieved at the same time, solving challenges in both
the waste management and energy sectors.
There are number of ways of generating energy from waste. These

--
include combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion and

landfill gas recovery.
--most waste to energy processes generate electricity and/or heat

directly through combustion, or produce a combustible fuel commodity,
such as methane, methanol, ethanol. Or synthetic fuels.
--most countries with very high recycling rates-such as Austria, Belgium,

Germany and Netherland- also have high rates of waste-to-energy as a
sink for pollutants and thereby have reduced landfill to almost zero
--waste to energy is considered bad at the same time because of

pollution. Waste-to-energy plants cause lesser air pollution than coal
plants, but more than natural gas plants. Burning municipal waste does
produce significant amount of dioxin and furan emissions to the
atmosphere as compared to the smaller amounts produced by burning
coal of natural gas.
--Waste-to-energy facilities avoid the production of methane while

producing almost ten times more electricity from each ton of waste
compared to landfills.
--Waste-to-energy suffers from limited levels of resources availability

and hence power generation capacity
--waste to energy is like a trash to treasure
_The most significant challenge to WTE technology adoption is the

awareness that waste can be used as a source of clean and reliable
energy.
Global developments:
During the 2001–2007 period, the waste-to-energy capacity increased by
about four million metric tons per year. Japan and China each built
several plants based on direct smelting or on fluidized bed combustion
of solid waste. In China there are about 434 waste-to-energy plants in
early 2016. Japan is the largest user in thermal treatment of municipal
solid waste in the world, with 40 million tons.
Interesting Facts About Waste-to-Energy:
1- Waste-to-Energy Can Provide Baseload Power:
The most familiar renewable energy resources such as wind

and solar can only provide power if the sun is shining or the
wind is blowing. WTE projects can actually provide baseload
power that is used to serve consumers and the grid no matter
the time of day or if the sun is shining or not.
Baseload power is essentially when intermittent resources

like solar and wind become more prevalent.
2-Not All WTE Projects are Clean and Green:
While waste-to-energy projects would seem to be green and clean

because they turn trash into power or gas. However, some projects
require long hauling of trash to bring to the actual incineration
facility. This actually ends up require much more emissions from the
trash haulers than alternatives.
One solution to this would be to help promote the use of electric
vehicles and electric vehicle technology to be installed in trucking,
like waste hauling.
3-WTE Projects Are Crucial to Help Reduce Landfills:
Landfills have increased at an exponential pace the in last 100 years.
Waste-to-energy projects are an awesome alternative to landfills as
the trash is used to provide electricity or fuel.
WTE projects reduce waste volumes by approximately 90%, which
results in fewer landfills that are needed to process ash. This ends up
protecting our natural resources and land in a dramatic fashion.
4-Most WTE Projects have Multiple Revenue Streams:

Waste-to-energy projects are extremely complicated and expensive
to build. Most of the investor economic interest is driven by financial
incentives, renewable identification numbers, tax credits, etc. to help
these projects get financed.
Beyond these other financial incentives, some of the waste-to-energy
projects produce a byproduct, named biochar, which has multiple
applications and fetches good prices. The biochar can usually end up
providing the most value in the revenue stream or investability of the
project itself.
In addition to other economic streams, waste-to-energy projects
usually require high tipping fees. A tipping fee is what the trash
hauler has to pay in order to dump the trash at the facility. With WTE
projects, the tipping fee can end up being 50-60% of the overall
revenue stack
5-WTE Facilities are Net Greenhouse Gas Reducers:
Methane has more than 20 times the potency of carbon dioxide and
is ranked as a very dangerous contributor to climate change and
warming of our planet. WTE facilities avoid the productions of
methane and end up producing up to 10 times more the electricity
than landfill gas projects. If you didn’t know, landfills can actually end
up producing electricity by capture the methane gas and compressing
it into a consumable natural gas for power.

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Waste to Energy

Waste to Energy (WTE), is a term that is used to describe various technologies

There are number of ways of generating energy from waste. These

include combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion and

--most waste to energy processes generate electricity and/or heat

--most countries with very high recycling rates-such as Austria, Belgium,

--waste to energy is considered bad at the same time because of

--Waste-to-energy facilities avoid the production of methane while

--Waste-to-energy suffers from limited levels of resources availability

--waste to energy is like a trash to treasure

_The most significant challenge to WTE technology adoption is the

1- Waste-to-Energy Can Provide Baseload Power:

The most familiar renewable energy resources such as wind

Baseload power is essentially when intermittent resources

2-Not All WTE Projects are Clean and Green:

While waste-to-energy projects would seem to be green and clean

4-Most WTE Projects have Multiple Revenue Streams:

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