Ash Recycling: Just a Dream?

Author(s):  
Heiner Zwahr

Waste to energy is only one way of handling waste, material recovery is another aspect of sustainable waste management. This is actually nothing new and has always been part of the operation of WTE (Waste to Energy) plants in Hamburg. In descriptions of the first waste incineration plant in Hamburg, which started operation in 1896, it was stated that “the fly ash” collected in the ash chambers was used as filler material for the insulation of ceiling cavities. Its use in the sandwich walls of money safes was expressly recommended by the members of the urban refuse collection authority. Another lucrative trade was the sorting of scrap iron. It was separated from the incineration slag with magnets. The slag itself was said to be as sterile as lava, as hard as glass, as useful as bricks, and it was a profitable side product of waste incineration. The crushed incinerator slag was evidently so much in demand in road construction and as an aggregate in concrete production that demand could often not be met in the building season, even though it was stored through the winter, [1,2,3].

Author(s):  
Daniel Robertson ◽  
Rod Barratt

The Data Quality Objective Procedure (DQOP) method aids implementing environmental polices, as engineering solutions. Pollution control issues identified and addressed through new environmental legislation need to be implemented. The metal matrix encapsulation (MME) treatment works as a toxicity reduction exercise that can legally control disposal of fly ashes from waste-to-energy plants. The MME process aids with the implementation of European Union (EU) legislation such as the Waste Incineration Directive by allowing fly ashes to be disposed of in landfill sites. By using the DQOP, as shown with the MME fly ash treatment, complex issues can be clearly identified and effectively controlled. The method considers various steps into which different activities can be addressed, agreed upon and allows engineering, financial and legal teams to cooperate. The EU is the world’s second largest economy with many waste management requirements. The DQOP can aid entry into this complex but rich economic opportunity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Gutberlet ◽  
Torleif Bramryd ◽  
Michael Johansson

Waste is a valuable commodity and remains a livelihood source for waste pickers in the global South. Waste to Energy (WtoE) is often described as alternative to landfilling, as it provides cheap fuel while making waste disappear. In some European cities, this method has evolved into an impediment, slowing down the adoption of more sustainable technologies and waste prevention. These plants typically strain municipal budgets and provide fewer jobs than recycling and composting, thereby inhibiting the development of small-scale local recycling businesses. We applied the idea of ‘waste regime’ with an interdisciplinary and situated lens to provide insights to the following questions: How do different political developments in Brazil and Sweden, frame and reframe waste incineration and energy recovery, in the context of sustainability and waste management on local, regional and national levels? What forms of resistance against WtoE exist and what are the arguments of these protagonists? We evaluated the impact of WtoE and compare it with other waste management options with regard to CO2 balances and general environmental and social impacts. We conclude by suggesting more socially and environmentally appropriate ways of waste management, particularly for the context of global South cities.


Author(s):  
Heiner Zwahr

Up to now the emissions of waste-to-energy plants have been of major concern for the operators of waste incineration plants and the public. In Germany the emission standards for waste incineration plants have been very strict for more than 10 years, more stringent than for coal fired power plants, for example. Now the member states of the European Union are following suit with the same standards in accordance with European directive 2000/76/EC on the incineration of waste. Within a couple of years all European waste incineration plants will have to comply with the emission limits of directive 2000/76/EC. There is also legislation in the pipeline restricting landfilling of untreated waste. In view of the discussions about CO2 reductions the efficiency of today’s Waste to Energy (WTE) plants should be improved, even though — or rather because — waste is regarded to some extent as “green power”. With the same goal in mind the recovery rate of reusable materials from the incineration of waste or flue gas treatment should be improved. This will make it possible to reduce the amount of CO2 generated by the production of these materials from natural resources and to conserve natural resources.


Author(s):  
Animesh Sharma

Abstract: This paper aims at determining the recent composition of municipal solid waste of Gwalior city and provide sa notion to take action and proposed economical & viable waste management technologies and techniques for effective utilization of waste. In this study, MSW samples were collected from the Kedarpur landfill site situated at Shivpuri link road and were analyzed for physical composition. The study reveals that Gwalior city produces a high quantity of biodegradable waste (58.03%) with high moisture content (68.60%) and plastic waste (15.96%). Waste composition and characterization disclosed that vigorous segregation is required before dispatching the waste for different treatment processes or landfilling. Based on this study, we may conclude that the combined mechanism of planning and implementation of waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies and treatment such as Anaerobic Digestion/ Bio-methanation, Material recovery facility (MRF), and Bio-remediation/Bio-mining for old existing waste and new generating waste is needed for upgrading the waste management scenario of the city. Keywords: Municipal solid waste (MSW), Kedarpur Landfill site, Composition & Characteristics, Waste to Energy, Anaerobic Digestion, Bio-Mining, Recycling & Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)


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