Waste To Energy - Solution To Landfills
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">The amount of municipal waste generated is exponentially increasing every year. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">In the EU, the amount of municipal waste generated per person in 2020 was 505 kg, an increase of 4 kg per person compared to 2019. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">If we consider that the population in the EU in 2020 was 447 million people, the amount of waste generated was 225,735 million tonnes. 39.2% of this <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Waste_statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waste was recycled or reused</a>, and 32.2% (72,686 MTn) was landfilled or disposed of. Also, in 2020, only 1,165 million tonnes were incinerated with energy recovery.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">One of the most important goals of the European Commission is the Waste Framework Directive. This targets the preparation for the re-use and recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 55%, 60%, and 65% by weight by 2025, 2030, and 2035 respectively. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Methods for Energy Generation from Waste </span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">To achieve the end of waste disposal, apart from recycling, it is necessary to do something additional with the remaining waste. If we consider waste as a fuel that can be used for energy generation, we are throwing money down the drain daily. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">Thermal or Incineration waste-to-energy plants are the most common existing plants, which have the worst reputation mainly due to emissions, which have been drastically reduced using more modern gas treatment equipment. Currently, there are many other types of innovative technologies in waste-to-energy. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">These new technologies are: </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Anaerobic digestion</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></li><li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Gasification</span></li><li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC)<span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">“Dendro Liquid Energy (LDE)” is currently being studied, which would be the most efficient of all technologies. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" data-contrast="none">Conclusion</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="none">In conclusion, waste-to-energy is necessary to reduce and minimize the waste that would end up in a landfill which potentially can cause land and underground water pollution. Waste-to-energy is also an exciting sector to invest in since every city or country needs a solution to eliminate the amount of waste generated. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>This article was contributed by our expert <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/v%C3%ADctor-jos%C3%A9-moreno-astorga-34b74122/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Víctor José Moreno Astorga</a></em></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Víctor José </span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. What are the environmental and economic impacts of waste-to-energy technologies or practices?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="auto">The waste-to-energy technologies can help the different city councils eliminate non-recyclable waste and obtain some revenue from electricity or district heating. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. How does the EU promote the integration of waste-to-energy into its broader waste management strategies and circular economy initiatives?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="auto">The EU is currently prioritizing waste-to-energy over dumping in landfills. With waste-to-energy facilities, non-recyclable waste can be eliminated. Currently, the EU is looking to reduce the incineration waste-to-energy technology, but until recycling is improved and other technologies like "Dendro-liquid-energy" is more developed, there is a need for the transition to minimize the landfill. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. What are the main challenges faced by Waste-To-Energy (WTE) projects in the EU, and what initiatives or policies are being implemented to overcome these challenges?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="auto">The main challenges of the WTE projects in the EU are to reduce possible emissions and be socially accepted. There are currently many initiatives to change people's perspective of WTE, using this energy to produce H2 or district heating. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4. What are some successful examples of waste-to-energy projects in the EU, and how have they positively impacted local waste management practices?</span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-contrast="auto">Sweden would be the best example of successful WTE projects that have helped to reduce the landfills to only 1% of the total waste. Almost all of the non-recycled waste in Sweden is burnt to obtain energy and heat.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
KR Expert - Víctor José Moreno Astorga
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