A Look at Waste-to-energy: Past, Present & Future

Maria Zannes

Integrated waste services associationWashington, D.C.

Zanneswte@aol.Com

Integrated Waste Services Association

Waste-to-energy

WTE facilities combust solid wastes to reduce their volume, produce energy, and recover materials

WTE serves two public needs: Environmentally sound,

reliable solid waste disposal

Clean renewable power

       

3

Typical Large Mass Burn Facility

Turbine/Generator

(Not shown)

Feed Hopper

Crane

Tipping Hall

Boiler

Flue Gas Cleaning Equipment

Stack

Refuse Bunker

FD Fan Grate Ash Handling Equipment ID Fan

4

Air Pollution Control Features

Environmental Management

SystemContinuous Emission Monitoring System

(CEMS)

Odors Burned in Boilers

Enclosed Unloading

and Storage Areas

Ash Wetted

High-temperature Combustion

Acid Gas Scrubbers

Baghouse or ESP

Urea Injection*

Carbon Injection*

Tall Stack

Manual Stack Tests

* Some Plants

Trash Disposal

Percentage of U.S. Waste managed: 13% Annual disposal capacity: 28.5 million

tons People served: 36 million States with WTE plants: 27

         

Energy Generation

Homes served: 2 + million Total power generated: 2500 MW Total steam exported: 2.6 million lbs/hr Percentage of total national generation: 0.3%

         

7

Waste-to-energy Technologies

Type Number of Facilities

Annual Throughput (MM tons)

Mass burn 65 22

Refuse derived fuel 15 6

Modular 9 0.5

Total 89

facilities

28.5

million tons

         

Modernization of WTE 1985 – 1995: technology upgrades

Older WTE and incinerators closed New larger WTE built

1998 – 2005 +: MACT retrofits EPA “maximum achievable control

technology” $1 billion industry & community investment High-emitting plants either retrofit or closed Small units compliance 2005 Large unit MACT revisions 2006

         

Modern WTE Technology

State-of-the-art pollution control design and equipment Combustion control Acid gas scrubbers Fabric filters / esps NOx control Activated carbon Continuous monitoring Stack tests

11

• Environmental Aspects of WTE

Renewable energy / fuel diversity

Air emissions Climate change Land use Ash management Recycling

Hempstead

Renewable Energy

Waste is ~ 70% biomass WTE is recognized as renewable under federal and 16 state laws WTE contributes to fuel diversity WTE plants are located near power users WTE reduces transportation fuel use

WTE is sustainable, “home-grown” power

      

Air Emissions

Dioxin (g/yr, TEQ)CadmiumLeadMercuryPMHClSO2

Pollutant Total Emissions2000 Actual Percent Reduction

1990 to 200012.0 g/yr

0.333 tons/yr4.76 tons/yr2.20 tons/yr797 tons/yr

2,672 tons/yr4,076 tons/yr

99+93

90.995.189.894.386.7

Source: Environmental Protection Agency, 2002

Nationwide WTE facility emissions have been dramatically reduced

         

Air Emissions: Dioxins WTE emissions now represent less than 1% of known dioxin inventory

USA Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) Dioxin Emissions 1990-2000

209200

28.918.3

0.680

50

100

150

200

250

1990 1993 1996 1999 2000

Year

Em

issi

on

s (k

g/y

ear

To

tal)

86,000

88,000

90,000

92,000

94,000

96,000

98,000

100,000

102,000

104,000

106,000

MS

W D

isp

osa

l (T

on

s/D

ay)

Emissions MSW Disposal

Air Emissions: MercuryWTE now represents less than 3% of U.S. man-made mercury emissions

USA MWC Mercury Emissions 1990-2000

46448

27669

21591

15331

2000

05000

10000

1500020000250003000035000

400004500050000

1990 1993 1996 1999 2000

Year

Em

issi

ons

(kg/

year

)

860008800090000

92000940009600098000100000

102000104000106000

MS

W D

ispo

sal

(Ton

s/da

y)

Emissions MSW Disposal

16

Climate Change

WTE reduces the emission of Greenhouse Gases

Eliminates methane emissions from garbage in landfills

Offsets fossil fuel energy with biomass

Statistics: One ton of greenhouse gases emitted by WTE

offsets two tons that would have been emitted by landfills and power plants

WTE plants reduce greenhouse gases by an amount equal to those emitted from 9 million automobiles

Source: greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator

Land Use

Landfill

1 CY

WTE reduces landfilled waste volumes by 90%

0.1 CY

Ash Management

WTE ash is stable and inert

Normally handled in combined form (bottom & fly)

Moisture reduces fugitive emissions

Compacts and hardens in landfills

RCRA non-hazardous Demonstrated low metals

leaching

Ash is safe for landfilling and suitable for many reuse applications

        

Ash Management - Reuse

Reuse in 2004: nearly 3 million tons

Types of reuse: Landfill cover and

roadways Landfill closure Mine reclamation and

brownfields Road asphalt and concrete

construction projects

         

RecyclingWTE and recycling do not compete; they are complementary parts of an integrated waste management programRecycling rate of communities with WTE is 35% vs. 30% in Non-wte communities

On-site ferrous recovery: 700,000 tons/yr

On-site non-ferrous metals and other materials: 100,000

tons/yr

Ash reuse: 2,970,000 tons/yr

       

Safety & Health

WTE industry historically reports lower OSHA recordable incidents than similar industries

20 WTE plants have achieved OSHA voluntary protection program status

         

Governmental Authorities Recognize WTE’s Benefits:

“Upgrading of the emission control systems of large combustors to Exceed the requirements of the clean air act section 129 standards is an impressive accomplishment. The completion of retrofits of the large combustion units enables us to continue to rely on municipal solid waste as a clean, reliable, renewable source of energy. With the capacity to handle approximately 15 percent of the waste generated in the US, these plants produce 2800 megawatts of electricity with less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity.”

-US environmental protection agency, february, 2003

“We at the office of energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE) also recognize MSW as a renewable energy resource and include it in our tracking of progress toward achieving the federal government’s renewable energy goal, established by executive order 13123.”

-Department of energy, april, 2003

         

WTE Industry - 1980’s

New Plants

■ Solid waste regulations landfill closures, rising tip fees

■ Communities seeking long-term solid waste solution■ PURPA – favorable energy contracts■ Financial drivers – tax credits, accelerated

depreciation

         

24

DOE Support for Waste-to-Energy Technology

Ash studies and reuse Alternative Waste-to-Energy

Technologies Analysis Advanced Pollution Control Research Comparative Energy, Economic &

Environmental Analysis of Technologies and Disposal Methods

Transfer of Technology & Information

25

DOE Support for Waste-to-Energy Technology

1975: Program originated as urban waste in ERDA / Funding: $40,000

1977: DOE formed from ERDA; name changes to Energy From Municipal Waste (EMW) / Funding: $4,650,000

1981: Significant increase in authority / Funding: $231,000,000

1985: EMW combined with Biomass Energy Technologies

26

DOE support for Waste-to-Energy Technology

1989: EMW selected as one of 11 DOE renewable energy initiatives / Funding (1986-89): $ 11,900,000

1990: EMW refocuses on near term combustion technologies / Funding: $2,300,000

1991: Last funding request as a portion of the Biomass Energy Technologies Division / Funding: $2,800,000

Waste-to-energy Plant Start-ups

0

10

20

30

40

50

60N

umbe

r of

Pla

nts

4

10

53

25

5

1

         

WTE Industry - 1990’s

■ Falling tip fees – landfill competition/long haul■ Falling energy prices■ Energy deregulation – uncertainties■ MACT investment■ Tax credits & DOE Program Funding End

Industry Consolidation

         

29

Renewed Partnership with NREL & Waste-to-Energy

Environmental & Economic Analysis of Renewable Combustion Technologies

Advanced Pollution Control Research for nitrogen oxides reduction

Cooperative research with Columbia University’s Waste-to-Energy Research & Technology Council

Research for mitigation of corrosion

WTE Industry - 2000’s Proven track record – reliability, environmental Renewable status / GHG credits Federal tax credits Expiring long-term contracts Retiring debt Good locations of existing plants RENEWED NREL PARTNERSHIP ???

Existing plants improve operationsNew & Expansion opportunities