Waste, no matter the source that generates it, isn’t merely about the space it consumes or its physical form. It is also about the harm it does to the environment when left untreated or dumped in a particular landfill. The emissions from this waste, both air and water, have a deep, adverse impact on the quality of life in society. While we all hate waste for everything it does to our planet, generating energy from trash might surprise and interest many! What’s interesting is that generating power is not even the primary objective of these plants, a scientific treatment and disposal of waste is. Power generation is an added benefit. That’s where waste-to-energy plants play a role. In addition to eliminating waste and processing it, they are transforming the future of renewable energy, taking us closer to our sustainability goals.
What is a Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Plant?
Also called an energy recovery or energy from waste plant (WtE or EfW), it is a facility that treats and disposes waste scientifically, in an environmentally compliant manner, while deriving a usable form of energy like electricity, or heat. In future, the WtE plants hold the potential to capture higher hydrocarbons, thereby elevating the potential of recovery further. Over the years, these plants have helped revolutionize waste management, helping individual companies and governments treat the waste generated in a scientific manner, save acres of space otherwise utilized as landfills, and deliver environmental benefits.
These plants serve various purposes, based on their types. For example, at JFE Engineering, as WtE solution providers, we specialize in tailor made waste-to-energy plants as per the requirement of the customers as well as the requisite environmental norms.
The extensive flue gas treatment system ensures that the plant emissions (both air and water) remain fully compliant to the regulatory standards, including suppressing some of the most toxic elements like dioxins and furans.
Waste-to-energy plays a role in promoting sustainability by generating renewable energy. Let’s overview it in the next section.
5 Ways WtE Plants Drive the Future of Renewable Energy and Sustainability
From reducing landfill dependency to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, these five factors help define the vital role of WtE plants in promoting renewable energy and sustainability worldwide.
1. Lowered Landfill Dependency
In India, landfills cover vast tracts of land that could otherwise be prime real estate and are home to 155-160 million tons of waste! Globally, the statistics are even more alarming. These landfills do not merely occupy space but disrupt the local ecology, making it difficult for human beings and other living creatures to survive within several kilometers of their reach.
However, waste-to-energy plants are making a difference here, these plants divert waste from going into landfills, reducing the amount of waste dumped on their soil, and also the environmental impact of waste disposal. Treating waste through such controlled combustion technology results in volume reduction of upto 90%. Such waste would, if left untreated, take decades to decompose.
2. Renewable Energy Generation
WtE facilities convert non-hazardous industrial and municipal solid waste into heat and electricity. One of the ways of doing it is by treating the waste through controlled combustion technology and capturing the heat to generate steam. Such energy derived from waste is considered renewable as its source is waste, which is continuously replenished and worked upon. Importantly, the power generated is not dependent on fossil fuel, thereby bringing circularity into the loop.
3. Reducing Greenhouse Emissions
This brings us to speaking about Waste to Energy through controlled combustion technology. It is a waste treatment process that involves treating the segregated combustible fraction of the solid waste in carefully regulated conditions (950 OC, 2 seconds residence time, turbulence in the furnace) to recover the energy from therein. It helps treat waste, including domestic, and non-hazardous industrial waste. As mentioned earlier, the energy generated is not dependent on fossil fuels, and hence, doesn’t add to the greenhouse emissions. The emissions from the flue gas, generated from combusting such heterogenous feed, is thoroughly treated to ensure all emissions are compliant with some of the most stringent emission standards.
One must also note that WtE plants help avoid methane emissions from landfills, which has emerged as a critical contributor to global warming. At JFE Engineering, we equip our waste-to-energy plants with best in class emission control technologies that help minimize pollutants.
4. Circular Economy
Renewable energy isn’t confined to processing waste and generating energy. It extends to reducing the need for raw materials and promoting a circular economy. WtE plants help recover various resources from waste streams. These include metals one can recycle and bottom ash that you can use in construction, roads paver blocks etc. Saving raw material resources is one way, although indirect, of promoting renewable energy.
5. Energy Security
Every country depends on imported fossil fuels to some extent. India isn’t an exception. It is the second-largest importer of fossil fuels after China. WtE plants play a significant role in such countries. Along with waste processing and disposal, these plants convert waste into energy, contributing to a more diverse and additional energy supply.
How Does JFE Contribute?
One of the leading WtE technology and turnkey partner, JFE Engineering offers solutions aligned with global sustainability endeavors. We serve hundreds of clients worldwide within the waste-to-energy domain, building a diverse range of WtE plants for them. Some include, Municipal solid waste, Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), non-hazardous industrial waste production systems, and more.
Connect with us and allow our experts to understand your requirements if you prioritize sustainability and need a comprehensive waste-to-energy solution.
