A Full Chain Sustainable Solution for MSW utilization for Small Municipalities

In the WE countries, US and Japan the waste incineration have been established during last 30 years as the main option of the use of the energy stored in the MSW. Although the net efficiency in such plants is very low (below 20%), the high gate-fees make this type of business very profitable and lead to overcapacity of the such facilities. Most of these facilities are mass-burn, namely they do not require any waste separation and recycling. Actually the waste is simply utilized, diminished. In order to improve the economics of such plants, the heat produced during the incineration is also sold as for district heating purposes. Although, the strict EU regulations concerning the emissions are met, emissions of toxic components such as dioxins and carcinogenic fine particulate matter still exist. Furthermore, the highly toxic solid residue captured from the flue gases requires special utilization and currently it is transported to temporary storage places like old coal mines underground. This solution is NOT sustainable!

In most of the countries from South-East and Eastern Europe MSW is usually land-filled. Recently the EU-members countries have to obey the new legislative that limit the use of landfills. In order to stimulate the communities to do more in MSW management, the governments fix higher price for landfilling. There are two possible ways for these countries:

  • To repeat the development in the WE countries – to build massively huge centralized incineration plants with all related problems, or
  • To develop a new approach, based on the most recent development in the technologies and in the understanding about the sustainable waste management.

The fist approach is the easiest one. The incineration Lobby is very strong and pushes the development in this direction. The EU is directly influenced by this Lobby and as the EU will give the money for the WTE projects in SE Europe the dangerous that the same mistakes will be done also in the new EU-member states is big.

The second way requires a strong political position that defends the interests of the local population and its environment and not promoting the interests of the incineration industry.

What are the interests of the local population? Social and economical development of the region in a sustainable and an environmentally friendly way.  

The proposed idea can be applied to small communities (up to 100 000 inhabitants). Following aims are pursued:

  • Local collection of the MSW
  • Local treatment with maximum recycling of the valuable components presented in the MSW mix
  • Local production of energy gained from the organic part of the MSW
  • Local use of the produced energy

The word “local” is the key point of this proposal. This implies more local jobs, more local incomes, taxes and more local production.  

The plant concept has the following units:

  • MSW accepting unit
  • MSW treatment unit
    • Separation of organic matter, metals, glass etc.
  • Air or O2 gasification of the organic matter (organic + RDF)

(Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, called syngas. The process system is closed, thus there is no any emissions to the atmosphere. All the hazardous substances are 100% separated from the syngas. Generally clean syngas is the base material for the whole organic chemistry worldwide).

  • Gas cleaning system
  • Possibly use of the produces syngas:
    • Syngas combustion in a boiler for production of thermal energy and power
    • Syngas synthesis for production of methanol, DME or other synfuels or chemicals
  • Utilization of solid residues via high temperature thermal treatment (inertization of the toxic materials)
  • Local utilization of the el. power produced
  • Local utilization of the thermal power produced (via supply of heat to bigger consumer like green houses or middle scale industrial facilities in the neighborhood).
  • Local utilization of the chemicals produced     

Implementation of this concept will bring the following advantages to the small communities:

  • Utilization of MSW in an environmentally friendly way, without emissions of toxic substances into the atmosphere
  • Most efficient way of conversion of the chemical energy stored in MSW into electricity
  • Most efficient way of conversion of carbon from the RDF into a high valuable product, such as chemicals
  • Heat and electricity can be produced from renewables (solar, wind and water); however, gasification of waste provides the possibility to diversify the final product, like production of methanol or DME that can be used as fuel for the public transport or as a fuel for schools and other public bindings.
  • Methanol or DME burns in diesel engines cleanly without any soot emissions, thus a double effect in improving the ecology can be reached, namely:
    • zero emissions into the atmosphere during the conversion of MSW;
    • reduction of the emissions from the diesel engines used in the local public transport
  • Methanol or DME can be stored and used on demand. Electricity and heat cannot be stored.
  • Less dependence of small communities from international prices of fossil fuels (natural gas and oil)
  • Local jobs, local infrastructure, local industry, local incomes etc.