How to Optimize Recycling Rates Using Waste Incineration

The improvement of recycling and reuse of waste is becoming more and more important and it is generally preferred compared to waste incineration. In fact, the incineration of waste is often considered the last alternative when recycling of a certain waste fraction is technically not possible or there is simply no market for the corresponding fraction of the waste. But instead of considering waste incineration as being contradictory to recycling, it may also be considered as an alternative way to achieve higher recycling rates. The main goal of waste to energy is the use of the chemical energy contained in the carbon and drogen, and transfer this into thermal energy. But all other elements contained in the waste will of course also be found in the various residue streams leaving the plant. For these residue streams there are possibilities for further treatment, enabling Separation of certain elements, improvement of the quality of a residue stream to allow re-use on the market or even potential for the preparation of a new product.

by Till Lemme, Wilfried Frehmann

Apart from increasing the pressure to reuse and recycle, either from the public, or simply due to rising market prices for certain elements, there are also other possible reasons: So far waste incineration is used widespread in industrial countries with clear guidelines for treatment and disposal of the residues such as slag/bottom ash or flue gas treatment residues. These proven ways for disposal of the residues may not be possible in many other countries or especially if solutions for archipelagic states are being considered. In addition the market prices for certain materials may be higher in such states, also justifying higher effort for treatment and separation of the residue streams from a waste incineration plant. And finally, if there are certain residues which cannot be reused or disposed off within the country itself, the amount shall be minimized as much as possible in order to reduce the costs for transport to a disposal facility.

This article describes the main process steps and the required process technology to optimize recycling rates for waste incineration plants. Most of it has been built and implemented in commercial scale facilities by Steinmüller Babcock Environment GmbH. Where a process has not been implemented on commercial scale, tests and studies have proven that, from a technological point of view, the successful implementation is possible.

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published: TK Verlag - Fachverlag für Kreislaufwirtschaft, Waste Management, Volume 6 (September 2016), 9|2016
Keywords: Energy Recovery, Material Recovery, Policy Tax Instruments, Reuse, Reduce, Sustainability, Climate