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NNFCC
     The Bioeconomy Consultants




    Energy from Waste:
The benefits of upgrading household
   waste before energy recovery

       September 2012
INEOS Bio plan to generate
                                                                low carbon electricity and
                                                                fuel from pre-treated MSW
                                                                      in the Tees Valley, UK
                                                                        Image: © INEOS Bio




W    aste has become a valuable resource for producing
     energy but which end-of-life energy recovery option offers
the best returns for the environment and for the economy?
As we move towards a zero waste               temperatures to produce heat and
economy, waste managers are having            power. But this can be inefficient,
to look for alternatives to landfilling       particularly if the feedstock has a high
waste. Where waste cannot realistically       moisture content.
be prevented, re-used, or recycled,
                                              Alternatively, we can “partially” upgrade
recovering the energy stored in waste
                                              MSW to refuse derived fuel (RDF) or
starts to become an environmentally and
                                              “fully” upgrade it to solid recovered
economically attractive option.
                                              fuel (SRF) by mechanically separating
Energy recovery can be particularly           the recyclates from the waste and
useful in treating mixed waste streams
like municipal solid waste (MSW). The
UK alone creates around 30 million
                                              Useful definitions
tonnes of MSW every year1, and thanks
to its high levels of organic matter – like
                                              MBT - Mechanical Biological


paper and food waste – it could have
                                              Treatment; a mechanical sorting
                                              process followed or preceded by

enormous value as a source of low
                                              a biological treatment, such as

carbon energy.
                                              composting or anaerobic digestion


We can recover energy from waste
                                              MHT - Mechanical Heat Treatment; a


by simply incinerating it at high
                                              thermal treatment using autoclaving
                                              followed by mechanical sorting
Incineration or
             plasma gasification




                                                                          SORTED
  WASTE                                                                    WASTE
                                                   ANAEROBIC
                                                   DIGESTION,
                    Material Segregation
                                                  COMPOSTING




                Sterilisation in
                 Autoclave            Material Segregation
                                                                 PYROLYSIS, GASIFICATION,
                                                                REMEDIATION, COMBUSTION


                                              Waste management alternatives to landfill




biologically or thermally treating it. This    MBT uses mechanical sorting to separate
fuel can then be used to create a range of     recyclates from the MSW, this is typically
products at high conversion efficiencies.      followed by one of three processes:

This briefing paper explores the benefits       •	 Aerobic decomposition
of producing RDF and SRF for use in                (Composting)
energy from waste facilities.                   •	 Anaerobic digestion
Pre-processing of waste                         •	 Bio-drying

A range of processes exist for upgrading       Aerobic decomposition and anaerobic
MSW, from simple sorting and shredding         digestion use organisms to break down
through to more complex mechanical             the organic waste. This helps to stabilise
biological treatment (MBT) and                 the waste, reduce its volume and create
mechanical heat treatment (MHT).               useful sorted fractions such as compost



                                                      Energy from Waste Briefing Page 2
MSW                                                   MSW


                           rejects                                     Initial
             Shredder                                                             rejects
                            3.6%                                     scalping      3.6%

                           Co2 3.1%
             Bio-drying
                           H2o 32.2%                                autoclave

            Densimetric      Densimetric                                                          fe metals
            seperation       seperation                                              Metal           5.4%
                                                                     Trommel
                                                                                   seperation     non-fe
                                                                                                 metals 1.0%
fe metals     Magnetic         Magnetic       fe metals
  1.4%       seperation       seperation        3.5%                                                Heavy
                                                          Inerts      Density        Density
                                                                                                   residues
                                                           6.4%     seperation     seperation
                                                                                                    12.2%
 non-fe                                        non-fe
            eddy current     eddy current
 metals                                        metals                                                light
             seperation       seperation
  0.5%                                          0.5%                fibre 61.5%    autoclave       residues
                                                                                                     9.9%
              pelletiser     Inert residues
                                  8.6%


             Srf 46.6%



              MBT mass balance example                                 MHT mass balance example



 in the case of aerobic decomposition,                      waste, but at present isn’t widely used in
 and digestate and a combustible gas                        the treatment of MSW.
 – known as biogas – in the case of
                                                            MHT processes produce dry recyclates,
 anaerobic digestion.
                                                            a residual fraction and a fibre similar
 Bio-drying – a variation of aerobic                        to SRF. A typical MHT mass balance is
 decomposition that uses natural process                    illustrated above (right).
 heat to dry rather than fully stabilise
 waste – is an approach used to produce
                                                            Why pre-treat waste?
 RDF and SRF. A typical mass balance for                    While pre-treating waste to RDF or
 MBT with bio-drying is shown above                         SRF is usually not needed for mass
 (left).                                                    burn incineration (MBI), it can add
                                                            considerable value to waste streams
 In contrast, MHT processes use steam
                                                            and is often a requirement for
 or direct heat to treat waste. MHT
                                                            more advanced energy conversion
 processes typically incorporate the use
                                                            technologies, like gasification and
 of autoclaves – devices used to sterilise
                                                            pyrolysis.
 and break down organic matter.
                                                            This additional pre-processing is
 Autoclaving is common in other
                                                            normally necessary because gasifiers
 industries, like the treatment of medical
and pyrolysers need a fuel with a              GHG balances of different MSW to
consistent particle size and a moisture        energy technologies. They compare:
content below about 30 per cent.
                                               •	 MBI with electricity generation or
However, this isn’t always the case, for
                                                  combined heat and power (CHP)
example ‘plasma’ gasifiers can process
                                                  production using untreated MSW
untreated MSW.
                                               •	 MBT (bio-drying) with electricity
Pre-treating waste with MBT or MHT to             generation in a co-fired power plant
make RDF or SRF can offer a number of             or CHP production using SRF
benefits when used in conjunction with
                                               •	 MHT with electricity generation
energy recovery. These include:
                                                  in a co-fired power plant or CHP
•	 Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG)                   production using SRF
   emissions, as well as fewer heavy
                                               The energy and fuel use for the three
   metals and less dust in the fly ash2
                                               pre-treatments are illustrated in the
•	 Improved downstream efficiency of           table below. This shows that the energy
   energy recovery                             demands of MBT and MHT processes are
•	 Increased recycling potential               considerably higher than those of MBI.

However, the energy demands and                However, to appreciate the overall pre-
outputs of MBT and MHT processes will          treatment benefits, displaced energy
vary according to a number of factors,         demand from recovering recycled
including the composition of the waste,        materials and downstream energy
process design and the downstream user         conversion of the pre-treated waste
requirements, such as biogenic content         must be considered.
and calorific value.
                                               According to Papageorgiou et al.3 if we
Papageorgiou et al.3 is one of the few         take into account whole system or life
studies that compares the energy and           cycle energy credits for each conversion




                     Pre-treatment energy demand and fuel use
                      Input (kWh/tonne     MBI     MBT     MHT
                      of waste received)
                      Electricity          4       80      24
                      Diesel               1       10      10
                      Natural Gas          0       0       177
                      Total                5       90      211




                                                    Energy from Waste Briefing Page 4
technology, MHT returns up to 40 per
cent of the energy present in each tonne
of MSW, compared to around 33 per cent
                                                                   MBI with electricity



for MBI.                                                MBT with electricity (co-firing)


Greenhouse gas emissions
The GHG emissions saved by pre-
                                                        MHT with electricity (co-firing)



treating waste depend on what energy
process they are being used to displace.
                                                                          MBI with CHp




To date the evidence is inconclusive as
                                                                         MBT with CHp


to whether pre-treatment saves GHG
emissions compared to MBI, when the
                                                                         MHT with CHp


energy is recovered in a CHP plant.
Although there may be some benefit
                                               -350    -250        -150         -50        50

to using MHT as a pre-treatment. In
                                                   Total GHG emissions (kg CO2 eq

addition, there is very little information
                                                 per tonne of waste) for contrasting

available to compare MBI to advanced
                                                        energy from waste options3


conversion technologies, which is an
area in need of further research.            potential emissions savings seen when
                                             pre-treating waste by MBT or MHT
However, there is evidence3 to suggest       followed by energy recovery will depend
that when displacing coal in a power         on the market for recyclates and final
plant there are significant advantages       use of the SRF.
to converting waste to RDF or SRF, as
shown above right.                           If we consider a realistic scenario for
                                             the UK, where most MSW is incinerated,
If there is no market for the recovered      with smaller but increasing quantities
materials such as ferrous metals, non-       converted to SRF via MBT and MHT,
ferrous metals and inerts like glass and     significant GHG savings can be realised
ash, waste pre-treatment can still reduce    compared to straight incineration of
life cycle GHG emissions, although these     untreated MSW3 when displacing coal
savings decrease by as much as 50 per        and in some cases gas, assuming the SRF
cent3.                                       is used for energy production and the
                                             recovered materials are recycled.
In contrast, if the SRF is landfilled
rather than used for energy recovery,        While GHG emissions are an important
GHG emissions for MBT or MHT will be         social and political consideration, it
higher than MBI3. This shows that the        is also valuable to consider the wider
implications of waste pre-treatment.        same tonnage of material, which may be
Processing waste into SRF or RDF can        desirable.
also improve the combustibility of
                                            Alternatively, if it is more important
wastes in a number of other ways.
                                            to have a high organic matter content
                                            – perhaps for those looking to claim
Sometimes it is desirable to control        renewable energy subsidies – the
Organic matter

the amount of organic matter present        process can be modified accordingly.
in the fuel. Organic matter has one of
the lowest calorific values and highest
                                            Moisture content

moisture contents in the slate of           Before a fuel can be converted to energy,
materials making up MSW. If we reduce       all remaining moisture must be driven
the percentage of organic matter in the     off inside the combustion or gasification
waste stream, this will make energy         reaction chamber.
conversion more efficient.
                                            Hence, increased moisture levels
We can achieve this by processing MSW       represent increased efficiency losses.
into SRF or RDF. The organic matter in      In the case of gasification, some of this
RDF is typically less than 25 per cent by   drying may need to be carried out before
mass, while in untreated MSW it can be      the waste is introduced to the gasifier,
as high as 50 or 60 per cent2.              depending on the gasifier type.
The improved calorific value allows         MSW typically has a moisture content of
smaller waste fuelled power stations to     between 30 and 40 per cent, compared
produce more electrical output from the




                                                                    Lakeside energy
                                                                    from waste plant
                                                                    Image: © Viridor




                                                 Energy from Waste Briefing Page 6
By 2020 energy from waste
could generate more than
3TWh of electricity in the UK5
to a moisture content of just 15 to 18 per   •	 Smaller ash handling and holding
cent for SRF3,4.                                system is needed at incineration
                                                plants. This decreases capital costs,
However, the fibre produced by MHT can
                                                albeit not greatly.
contain as much as 50 per cent moisture,
resulting in a low heating value. To use     •	 Where batteries are removed
MHT fibre as a fuel it normally needs to        by upstream MSW processing to
be dried, preferably using waste heat.          produce RDF or SRF, heavy metals
                                                levels (e.g. zinc, cadmium, mercury)
                                                in the recovered ashes and any fly
Ash content
Removing non-combustibles from MSW              ashes will be reduced3.
means that SRF and RDF have reduced
ash contents compared to untreated
                                             Acidic flue gases
MSW. MSW can contain around 20 to            Per tonne, SRF contains more sulphur
40 per cent ash content by mass2,4 while     and chlorine than MSW. Hence, more
SRF and RDF contain around 10 to 20          sulphur dioxide and hydrochloric acid
per cent by mass2,3,4.                       will be emitted when one tonne of SRF is
                                             burnt compared to one tonne of MSW.
This compares more favourably to coal
and woody biomass which have ash             However, more energy will be produced
contents of 5 to 10 per cent by mass and     from the SRF so on an acidic gases per
1 to 2 per cent by mass, respectively4.      MWh basis the SRF is cleaner. This
                                             means that SRF will typically have a
The reduced ash content of SRF
                                             lower acidification potential than MSW
compared to MSW means that less
heat is lost heating up the ash in the
combustion or gasification chamber.

As a result more of the available
chemical energy is converted into useful
product such as electricity, resulting in
increased conversion efficiency.

The reduced ash content of SRF
compared to MSW also provides the
following environmental benefits:
                                                 Air Products are building the worlds


•	 Lower fly ash emissions from the
                                              largest advanced gasification energy
                                                 from waste facility in Teesside, UK -

   combustion process, which reduces
                                                        due to be completed in 2014

   smog potential and removal costs.
                                                               Image: © Air Products




                                                  Energy from Waste Briefing Page 8
per MWh, although this may not always
be the case since the lower heating value
                                                  Looking to the future

can vary.                                         To date energy from waste has not
                                                  fulfilled its potential as a method for
If plant operators switch from MSW to             material or energy recovery and has
SRF or RDF with a higher acid gas level           been used more as a waste management
per tonne, care will need to be taken             tool. But we are starting to see a shift
to ensure that emissions do not rise              where the value of waste is being more
beyond permitted levels, regardless of            widely recognised.
whether the plant produces more net
MWh of power per year.                            The end-of-life use of waste should
                                                  conform, where possible, to the waste
                                                  hierarchy, but where it cannot be
                                                  practically re-used or recycled, energy
Material consistency
MSW is a heterogeneous resource, both
                                                  recovery is preferable to landfilling.
in terms of its constituent materials and
particulate size; meaning it is composed          The most appropriate technology to
of particles of different shapes and sizes.       convert waste to energy will depend on
                                                  its intended end-use and the market for
Processing MSW into RDF or SRF will
                                                  recyclates, but MBT and MHT can offer
have the effect of homogenising the
                                                  significant environmental and economic
material and making it easier to burn or
                                                  benefits over incineration.
gasify consistently.


  Background information
  1. Evaluation of Opportunities for Converting Indigenous UK Wastes to Fuels and
  Energy. Barker N and Evans L. 2009. NNFCC Report 09-012.

  2. Analysis and comparison of municipal solid waste and reject fraction as fuels for
  incineration plants. Montejo C, Costa C, Ramos P and del Carmen Márquez M. 2011.
  Applied Thermal Engineering (31), pp. 2135-2140.

  3. Assessment of the greenhouse effect impact of technologies used for energy
  recovery from municipal waste: a case for England. Papageorgiou A, Barton J R and
  Karagiannidis A. 2009. Journal of Environmental Management (90), pp. 2999-3012.

  4. An integrated appraisal of energy recovery options in the United Kingdom using
  solid recovered fuel derived from municipal solid waste. Garg A, Smith R, Hill D,
  Longhurst PJ, Pollard SJ and Simms NJ. 2009. Waste Management (29), pp. 2289-2297.

  5. UK jobs in the bioenergy sectors by 2020. McDermott F. 2012. NNFCC Report 11-025.
Energy from Waste Briefing Page 10
NNFCC is a leading international consultancy with expertise on the
conversion of biomass to bioenergy, biofuels and bio-based products.

NNFCC
Biocentre
York Science Park
Innovation Way
York
YO10 5DG
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)1904 435182
Email: enquiries@nnfcc.co.uk
Website: www.nnfcc.co.uk

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NNFCC briefing document. energy from waste the benefits of upgrading household waste before energy recovery

  • 1. NNFCC The Bioeconomy Consultants Energy from Waste: The benefits of upgrading household waste before energy recovery September 2012
  • 2. INEOS Bio plan to generate low carbon electricity and fuel from pre-treated MSW in the Tees Valley, UK Image: © INEOS Bio W aste has become a valuable resource for producing energy but which end-of-life energy recovery option offers the best returns for the environment and for the economy? As we move towards a zero waste temperatures to produce heat and economy, waste managers are having power. But this can be inefficient, to look for alternatives to landfilling particularly if the feedstock has a high waste. Where waste cannot realistically moisture content. be prevented, re-used, or recycled, Alternatively, we can “partially” upgrade recovering the energy stored in waste MSW to refuse derived fuel (RDF) or starts to become an environmentally and “fully” upgrade it to solid recovered economically attractive option. fuel (SRF) by mechanically separating Energy recovery can be particularly the recyclates from the waste and useful in treating mixed waste streams like municipal solid waste (MSW). The UK alone creates around 30 million Useful definitions tonnes of MSW every year1, and thanks to its high levels of organic matter – like MBT - Mechanical Biological paper and food waste – it could have Treatment; a mechanical sorting process followed or preceded by enormous value as a source of low a biological treatment, such as carbon energy. composting or anaerobic digestion We can recover energy from waste MHT - Mechanical Heat Treatment; a by simply incinerating it at high thermal treatment using autoclaving followed by mechanical sorting
  • 3. Incineration or plasma gasification SORTED WASTE WASTE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION, Material Segregation COMPOSTING Sterilisation in Autoclave Material Segregation PYROLYSIS, GASIFICATION, REMEDIATION, COMBUSTION Waste management alternatives to landfill biologically or thermally treating it. This MBT uses mechanical sorting to separate fuel can then be used to create a range of recyclates from the MSW, this is typically products at high conversion efficiencies. followed by one of three processes: This briefing paper explores the benefits • Aerobic decomposition of producing RDF and SRF for use in (Composting) energy from waste facilities. • Anaerobic digestion Pre-processing of waste • Bio-drying A range of processes exist for upgrading Aerobic decomposition and anaerobic MSW, from simple sorting and shredding digestion use organisms to break down through to more complex mechanical the organic waste. This helps to stabilise biological treatment (MBT) and the waste, reduce its volume and create mechanical heat treatment (MHT). useful sorted fractions such as compost Energy from Waste Briefing Page 2
  • 4. MSW MSW rejects Initial Shredder rejects 3.6% scalping 3.6% Co2 3.1% Bio-drying H2o 32.2% autoclave Densimetric Densimetric fe metals seperation seperation Metal 5.4% Trommel seperation non-fe metals 1.0% fe metals Magnetic Magnetic fe metals 1.4% seperation seperation 3.5% Heavy Inerts Density Density residues 6.4% seperation seperation 12.2% non-fe non-fe eddy current eddy current metals metals light seperation seperation 0.5% 0.5% fibre 61.5% autoclave residues 9.9% pelletiser Inert residues 8.6% Srf 46.6% MBT mass balance example MHT mass balance example in the case of aerobic decomposition, waste, but at present isn’t widely used in and digestate and a combustible gas the treatment of MSW. – known as biogas – in the case of MHT processes produce dry recyclates, anaerobic digestion. a residual fraction and a fibre similar Bio-drying – a variation of aerobic to SRF. A typical MHT mass balance is decomposition that uses natural process illustrated above (right). heat to dry rather than fully stabilise waste – is an approach used to produce Why pre-treat waste? RDF and SRF. A typical mass balance for While pre-treating waste to RDF or MBT with bio-drying is shown above SRF is usually not needed for mass (left). burn incineration (MBI), it can add considerable value to waste streams In contrast, MHT processes use steam and is often a requirement for or direct heat to treat waste. MHT more advanced energy conversion processes typically incorporate the use technologies, like gasification and of autoclaves – devices used to sterilise pyrolysis. and break down organic matter. This additional pre-processing is Autoclaving is common in other normally necessary because gasifiers industries, like the treatment of medical
  • 5. and pyrolysers need a fuel with a GHG balances of different MSW to consistent particle size and a moisture energy technologies. They compare: content below about 30 per cent. • MBI with electricity generation or However, this isn’t always the case, for combined heat and power (CHP) example ‘plasma’ gasifiers can process production using untreated MSW untreated MSW. • MBT (bio-drying) with electricity Pre-treating waste with MBT or MHT to generation in a co-fired power plant make RDF or SRF can offer a number of or CHP production using SRF benefits when used in conjunction with • MHT with electricity generation energy recovery. These include: in a co-fired power plant or CHP • Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) production using SRF emissions, as well as fewer heavy The energy and fuel use for the three metals and less dust in the fly ash2 pre-treatments are illustrated in the • Improved downstream efficiency of table below. This shows that the energy energy recovery demands of MBT and MHT processes are • Increased recycling potential considerably higher than those of MBI. However, the energy demands and However, to appreciate the overall pre- outputs of MBT and MHT processes will treatment benefits, displaced energy vary according to a number of factors, demand from recovering recycled including the composition of the waste, materials and downstream energy process design and the downstream user conversion of the pre-treated waste requirements, such as biogenic content must be considered. and calorific value. According to Papageorgiou et al.3 if we Papageorgiou et al.3 is one of the few take into account whole system or life studies that compares the energy and cycle energy credits for each conversion Pre-treatment energy demand and fuel use Input (kWh/tonne MBI MBT MHT of waste received) Electricity 4 80 24 Diesel 1 10 10 Natural Gas 0 0 177 Total 5 90 211 Energy from Waste Briefing Page 4
  • 6. technology, MHT returns up to 40 per cent of the energy present in each tonne of MSW, compared to around 33 per cent MBI with electricity for MBI. MBT with electricity (co-firing) Greenhouse gas emissions The GHG emissions saved by pre- MHT with electricity (co-firing) treating waste depend on what energy process they are being used to displace. MBI with CHp To date the evidence is inconclusive as MBT with CHp to whether pre-treatment saves GHG emissions compared to MBI, when the MHT with CHp energy is recovered in a CHP plant. Although there may be some benefit -350 -250 -150 -50 50 to using MHT as a pre-treatment. In Total GHG emissions (kg CO2 eq addition, there is very little information per tonne of waste) for contrasting available to compare MBI to advanced energy from waste options3 conversion technologies, which is an area in need of further research. potential emissions savings seen when pre-treating waste by MBT or MHT However, there is evidence3 to suggest followed by energy recovery will depend that when displacing coal in a power on the market for recyclates and final plant there are significant advantages use of the SRF. to converting waste to RDF or SRF, as shown above right. If we consider a realistic scenario for the UK, where most MSW is incinerated, If there is no market for the recovered with smaller but increasing quantities materials such as ferrous metals, non- converted to SRF via MBT and MHT, ferrous metals and inerts like glass and significant GHG savings can be realised ash, waste pre-treatment can still reduce compared to straight incineration of life cycle GHG emissions, although these untreated MSW3 when displacing coal savings decrease by as much as 50 per and in some cases gas, assuming the SRF cent3. is used for energy production and the recovered materials are recycled. In contrast, if the SRF is landfilled rather than used for energy recovery, While GHG emissions are an important GHG emissions for MBT or MHT will be social and political consideration, it higher than MBI3. This shows that the is also valuable to consider the wider
  • 7. implications of waste pre-treatment. same tonnage of material, which may be Processing waste into SRF or RDF can desirable. also improve the combustibility of Alternatively, if it is more important wastes in a number of other ways. to have a high organic matter content – perhaps for those looking to claim Sometimes it is desirable to control renewable energy subsidies – the Organic matter the amount of organic matter present process can be modified accordingly. in the fuel. Organic matter has one of the lowest calorific values and highest Moisture content moisture contents in the slate of Before a fuel can be converted to energy, materials making up MSW. If we reduce all remaining moisture must be driven the percentage of organic matter in the off inside the combustion or gasification waste stream, this will make energy reaction chamber. conversion more efficient. Hence, increased moisture levels We can achieve this by processing MSW represent increased efficiency losses. into SRF or RDF. The organic matter in In the case of gasification, some of this RDF is typically less than 25 per cent by drying may need to be carried out before mass, while in untreated MSW it can be the waste is introduced to the gasifier, as high as 50 or 60 per cent2. depending on the gasifier type. The improved calorific value allows MSW typically has a moisture content of smaller waste fuelled power stations to between 30 and 40 per cent, compared produce more electrical output from the Lakeside energy from waste plant Image: © Viridor Energy from Waste Briefing Page 6
  • 8. By 2020 energy from waste could generate more than 3TWh of electricity in the UK5
  • 9. to a moisture content of just 15 to 18 per • Smaller ash handling and holding cent for SRF3,4. system is needed at incineration plants. This decreases capital costs, However, the fibre produced by MHT can albeit not greatly. contain as much as 50 per cent moisture, resulting in a low heating value. To use • Where batteries are removed MHT fibre as a fuel it normally needs to by upstream MSW processing to be dried, preferably using waste heat. produce RDF or SRF, heavy metals levels (e.g. zinc, cadmium, mercury) in the recovered ashes and any fly Ash content Removing non-combustibles from MSW ashes will be reduced3. means that SRF and RDF have reduced ash contents compared to untreated Acidic flue gases MSW. MSW can contain around 20 to Per tonne, SRF contains more sulphur 40 per cent ash content by mass2,4 while and chlorine than MSW. Hence, more SRF and RDF contain around 10 to 20 sulphur dioxide and hydrochloric acid per cent by mass2,3,4. will be emitted when one tonne of SRF is burnt compared to one tonne of MSW. This compares more favourably to coal and woody biomass which have ash However, more energy will be produced contents of 5 to 10 per cent by mass and from the SRF so on an acidic gases per 1 to 2 per cent by mass, respectively4. MWh basis the SRF is cleaner. This means that SRF will typically have a The reduced ash content of SRF lower acidification potential than MSW compared to MSW means that less heat is lost heating up the ash in the combustion or gasification chamber. As a result more of the available chemical energy is converted into useful product such as electricity, resulting in increased conversion efficiency. The reduced ash content of SRF compared to MSW also provides the following environmental benefits: Air Products are building the worlds • Lower fly ash emissions from the largest advanced gasification energy from waste facility in Teesside, UK - combustion process, which reduces due to be completed in 2014 smog potential and removal costs. Image: © Air Products Energy from Waste Briefing Page 8
  • 10. per MWh, although this may not always be the case since the lower heating value Looking to the future can vary. To date energy from waste has not fulfilled its potential as a method for If plant operators switch from MSW to material or energy recovery and has SRF or RDF with a higher acid gas level been used more as a waste management per tonne, care will need to be taken tool. But we are starting to see a shift to ensure that emissions do not rise where the value of waste is being more beyond permitted levels, regardless of widely recognised. whether the plant produces more net MWh of power per year. The end-of-life use of waste should conform, where possible, to the waste hierarchy, but where it cannot be practically re-used or recycled, energy Material consistency MSW is a heterogeneous resource, both recovery is preferable to landfilling. in terms of its constituent materials and particulate size; meaning it is composed The most appropriate technology to of particles of different shapes and sizes. convert waste to energy will depend on its intended end-use and the market for Processing MSW into RDF or SRF will recyclates, but MBT and MHT can offer have the effect of homogenising the significant environmental and economic material and making it easier to burn or benefits over incineration. gasify consistently. Background information 1. Evaluation of Opportunities for Converting Indigenous UK Wastes to Fuels and Energy. Barker N and Evans L. 2009. NNFCC Report 09-012. 2. Analysis and comparison of municipal solid waste and reject fraction as fuels for incineration plants. Montejo C, Costa C, Ramos P and del Carmen Márquez M. 2011. Applied Thermal Engineering (31), pp. 2135-2140. 3. Assessment of the greenhouse effect impact of technologies used for energy recovery from municipal waste: a case for England. Papageorgiou A, Barton J R and Karagiannidis A. 2009. Journal of Environmental Management (90), pp. 2999-3012. 4. An integrated appraisal of energy recovery options in the United Kingdom using solid recovered fuel derived from municipal solid waste. Garg A, Smith R, Hill D, Longhurst PJ, Pollard SJ and Simms NJ. 2009. Waste Management (29), pp. 2289-2297. 5. UK jobs in the bioenergy sectors by 2020. McDermott F. 2012. NNFCC Report 11-025.
  • 11. Energy from Waste Briefing Page 10
  • 12. NNFCC is a leading international consultancy with expertise on the conversion of biomass to bioenergy, biofuels and bio-based products. NNFCC Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way York YO10 5DG United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0)1904 435182 Email: enquiries@nnfcc.co.uk Website: www.nnfcc.co.uk