Solid Waste Incineration

The city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which has a population of 804,474, and has been experiencing rapid growth over the last 15 years, generates approximately 1.39 kg capita-1 day-1 of municipal solid waste (MSW). Nearly 700 tonnes of MSW are collected daily, of which 97% is disposed of at landfills. The newest landfill was built using modern technologies, including a landfill gas (LFG) collection system.
The rapid growth of Astana demands more energy on its path to development, and the viability analysis of MSW to generate electricity is imperative. This paper presents a technical–economic pre-feasibility study comparing landfill including LFG utilization and waste incineration (WI) to produce electricity. The performance of LFG with a reciprocating engine and WI with steam turbine power technologies were compared through corresponding greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, cost of energy production (CEP), benefit–cost ratio (BCR), net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) from the analyses. Results demonstrate that in the city of Astana, WI has the potential to reduce more than 200,000 tonnes of GHG per year, while LFG could reduce slightly less than 40,000 tonnes. LFG offers a CEP 5.7% larger than WI, while the latter presents a BCR two times higher than LFG. WI technology analysis depicts a NPV exceeding 280% of the equity, while for LFG, the NPV is less than the equity, which indicates an expected remarkable financial return for the WI technology and a marginal and risky scenario for the LFG technology. Only existing landfill facilities with a LFG collection system in place may turn LFG into a viable project.

Featured Application: Yielded research results indicate that the problems of the computational grid resolution in the CALMET/CALPUFF modeling system cannot be neglected during air quality impact assessment at a local scale for regulatory purposes. Decrease in grid resolution results in the underestimation of the highest maximum concentrations, which may lead to inadequate administrative decisions. Abstract: Increase in grid resolution in atmospheric non-steady-state dispersion models induces a more faithful reflection of the area surface, and thus contributes to more detailed and diversified calculation results but also significantly prolongs the calculation time. This paper presents the influence of horizontal grid resolution in the CALMET/CALPUFF modeling system on the results of air quality impact assessment in a local scale carried out for the Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) Plant in Krakow using the maximum permissible emission of NO x. Subject to comparative analysis were four grids of the following resolutions: 100, 250, 500 and 1000 m. A direct intercomparison of air concentrations was made for 676 discrete receptors with the use of statistical indicators. On the basis of the calculations and analyses, it has been stated that, depending on the regular grid spacing, some differences in calculated concentrations can occur affecting the results of the air quality impact assessment. The highest concentrations in all computational receptors present in the given case were obtained for 100 m grid spacing. When compared to a grid of 100 m, the relatively smallest discrepancies were obtained for a grid of 250 m, with an already significantly shortened calculation time.

This case overview and presentation comes naturally in place to cover some rather rational questions as to what has been happening in a small town in central Greece, which hasn’t exactly been vocal about anything in the past, in such a fervent manner.

This study is divided in two main fields of interest and research, that being, firstly,  the waste combustion practices involved and secondly, the specific case of Volos’ waste management and incineration plants, and the media portrayal of the demonstrations that followed the announcement of waste combustion plan being brought in action.

At the turn of 2015/2016 it is planned to launch in Poland a few new municipal solid waste incineration plants. This type activities causes usually concerns of the local community due to their potential negative impact on air quality. Are these fears are, however, justified? The article describes allowable air emissions for new waste incinerators, the actual emissions that occur from such installations, and the current state of knowledge about their impact on air pollution.
English title: The impact of installations of municipal solid waste thermal treatment on air quality.

The planned construction of new municipal waste incineration plants over the next few years in Poland results in protests of local communities, which arise mainly from fear of an increase in the air pollution in its vicinity. These protests extend the investment process and hinder the selection of incineration plant location, but on the other hand they necessitate the use of more efficient solutions to reduce their impact on the air quality.
This paper characterizes the world's most widely used technology for municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) and assesses the possible maximum impact on the air quality of an exemplary MSWI plant with a capacity of about 250,000 Mg/year (two independent incineration lines, each with a capacity of 17 Mg/h). The assessment takes into account a diversity of air pollutant emissions resulting from the emission limit values set for different times of averaging, diversification of geometric dimensions of a stack and the exhaust velocity of gases, as well as the diversity of coverage and use of the area around the incineration plant. Based on the conducted calculations, recommendations for this type of installation regarding, among others, the parameters of the emitters and their location, were set out allowing to minimize their impact on the air pollution in the vicinity of the nearest buildings. Particular attention was paid to these substances, the emission of which is the most disturbing, and for which in many Polish cities the air quality standards are not complied with.

The city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which has a population of 804,474, and has been experiencing rapid growth over the last 15 years, generates approximately 1.39 kg capita(-1) day(-1) of municipal solid waste (MSW). Nearly 700 tonnes of MSW are collected daily, of which 97% is disposed of at landfills. The newest landfill was built using modern technologies, including a landfill gas (LFG) collection system. The rapid growth of Astana demands more energy on its path to development, and the viability analysis of MSW to generate electricity is imperative. This paper presents a technical-economic pre-feasibility study comparing landfill including LFG utilization and waste incineration (WI) to produce electricity. The performance of LFG with a reciprocating engine and WI with steam turbine power technologies were compared through corresponding greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, cost of energy production (CEP), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), net present value (NPV) and internal rate...

The city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which has a population of 804,474, and has been experiencing rapid growth over the last 15 years, generates approximately 1.39 kg capita(-1) day(-1) of municipal solid waste (MSW). Nearly 700 tonnes of MSW are collected daily, of which 97% is disposed of at landfills. The newest landfill was built using modern technologies, including a landfill gas (LFG) collection system. The rapid growth of Astana demands more energy on its path to development, and the viability analysis of MSW to generate electricity is imperative. This paper presents a technical-economic pre-feasibility study comparing landfill including LFG utilization and waste incineration (WI) to produce electricity. The performance of LFG with a reciprocating engine and WI with steam turbine power technologies were compared through corresponding greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, cost of energy production (CEP), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), net present value (NPV) and internal rate...