Emerging Waste-to-Energy Technologies: Solid Waste Solution or Dead End?

Three emerging thermal waste-to-energy technologies seek to turn municipal solid waste from a burden to an asset. Adherents of these technologies say they produce fewer toxic emissions and virtually eliminate landfilling. But none of the technologies have yet been proven on a commercial scale in the United States.© Bloomberg via Getty Images Gasification, plasma gasification, and pyrolysis all involve the super-heating of a feedstock—be it MSW, coal, or agricultural residues—in an oxygen-controlled environment to avoid combustion. The primary differences among them relate to heat source (this example shows torches like those used in plasma gasification), oxygen level, and temperature. Syngas cleaning is necessary for conversion to high-value products such as substitute natural gas but not for combustion in a boiler unit.Illustration: Jane Whitney for EHP Municipal solid waste comprises a wide variety of materials that most often end up in landfills—nationwide, an average of 34% of the waste stream is recycled.© Stephen Wilkes/Getty Many of the materials that end up in landfills could potentially produce power in a waste-to-energy plant, although some stakeholders believe recycling and composting should be maximized first.Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Background image: © Carlos Caetano/Shutterstock Nate Seltenrich covers science and the environment from Petaluma, CA. His work has appeared i...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Featured Focus News June 2016 Source Type: research