Water Reclamation Practices at the Pinellas County (FL) Resource Recovery Facility

The Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility (PCRRF) combusts 3,150 tons per day of municipal solid waste from Pinellas County, Florida and produces 75 megawatts (MW) of electrical generation capacity. The facility requires about 1.7 million gallons per day (MGD) of makeup water for the cooling tower and up to 200 thousand gallons per day of high-purity water for boiler makeup. The facility currently uses recovered storm water for cooling during summer months (rainy season) and treated municipal wastewater (“reclaimed water”) during the winter months (dry season). The facility currently uses potable water for boiler makeup and is planning to use reclaimed water in the future. Use of reclaimed water for plant water demands is consistent with the philosophy of resource recovery. Reclaimed water, once considered a waste product, is now a valuable resource in water-short areas such as peninsular Florida. Pinellas County’s population of over 1 million people requires water for residential, commercial and industrial purposes. Use of reclaimed water for demands at the PCRRF minimizes the impact on limited freshwater resources and can also build support for the facility among the environmental community. Reclaimed water also has economic benefits. Tampa Bay is experiencing ever-increasing potable water costs. Potable water prices are expected to outpace inflation for the next several years to fund capital improvements associated with the Tampa Bay water program. Reclaimed water is available during the winter season, and the PCRRF has the ability to procure it from two separate sources at competitive rates. During the summer months, the facility depends more on its storm water source. A lime softening pretreatment system processes the storm water prior to its use in the cooling towers. Reclaimed water for boiler makeup will require membrane treatment followed by ion exchange. Microfiltration is being evaluated to remove bacteria-size particles and prevent fouling of the reverse osmosis membranes. Potable water will be used as a backup in the event of availability or quality problems with the reclaimed water supply.

Construction and Evaluation of a Bituminous Roadway Constructed With Municipal Solid Waste Combustor Ash

County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13, located in Polk County Minnesota, was to be paved with 2.25 miles of new bituminous in October of 2000. Prior to the end of the 2000 construction season, a portion of one lane of the base course was installed, with the remainder to be completed in spring of 2001. The bituminous was amended with ash generated at the municipal solid waste combustor located in Fosston Minnesota. One third of the road was to be paved with traditional bituminous, one third was to be paved with bituminous in which a portion of the aggregate was replaced with “new” ash and one third was to be paved with bituminous in which a portion of the aggregate was replaced with “old” ash. “New” combustor ash is ash generated after the installation of an up-front materials recovery facility (MRF) and “old” combustor ash is ash generated before the installation of the MRF. Ash-amended bituminous was to be used in the base course and binder course of the pavement profile. Significant environmental and structural testing was performed prior to construction. Environmental and structural testing was also performed simultaneously with the construction process. Environmental testing completed in 2000 included: analysis of stack emissions from the bituminous plant, evaluation of breathing zone particulates at the bituminous plant, and analysis of surface water runoff from the ash-amended bituminous. Structural testing included trial mix design parameters. The road was also instrumented to collect water that may infiltrate through the ash-amended bituminous. Environmental testing to be completed in 2001 includes: evaluation of impacts to soils adjacent to the roadway and evaluation of infiltration water collected in the under-pavement collectors. Post-construction pavement testing is also to be completed in 2001. This paper presents the initial results of environmental and structural testing as well as construction issues.

Ash Management Policy in Florida

Florida has recently revised its policy document concerning beneficial re-use of waste-to energy ash. The following is a reprint of the body of that document, without the appendices.

A Carbon Injection System on a COHPAC-Equipped Waste-to-Energy Facility

The SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) is a processed refuse fuel (PRF) waste-to-energy plant serving much of Southeastern Massachusetts. Units 1 and 2 at the plant were designed with spray dryer absorbers (SDAs) and electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). A review of historical data from the plant indicated that in order to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) Rule (40 CFR Part 60, Subpart Cb), which is known as the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), improved emission performance would be required from the flue gas cleaning system on Units 1 and 2. A pilot test program was conducted which led to the installation of COHPAC, or COmpact Hybrid PArticulate Collector units (i.e. flue gas polishing devices) downstream of the ESPs on these two combustion trains. The COHPAC units were successfully started up in June, 2000. In addition to these modifications, it was determined that further control of mercury emissions would be required. A system to inject powdered activated carbon into the flue gas was added to the plant. This paper describes that carbon injection system. A comparison between test data obtained at SEMASS is made with predictions based upon the EPA testing at the Ogden Martin Systems of Stanislaus, Inc. Municipal Waste Combustor Facility near Crows Landing, California and the EPA testing at the Camden County Municipal Waste Combustor in Camden, New Jersey. These are waste-to-energy plants, the former utilizing an SDA and a baghouse while the latter contains an SDA followed by an ESP. In addition, the effect of carbon injection location upon mercury reduction was investigated. The results of that study are also included.

Plant System Expansion: “Getting More From Alternative Revenue Sources”

“Alternative Revenue Sources” are tipping fee revenues received from the combustion of non-traditional waste. Such alternative solid wastes are not hazardous wastes and are not typically delivered by the normal garbage collection system. Alternative Revenue Wastes (ARW) need a due diligence review showing that disposal of the waste will not violate any laws, ordinances and/or permit conditions. Disposal of ARW will need coordination and additional special handling for final disposal ARW generators do pay a tipping fee greater than the solid waste tipping fee in order to compensate the owner/operator for the extra effort. ARW wastes are derived from the following special considerations: 1) Liability concerns from disposal of such waste. 2) Sensitive security. 3) Legal/Regulatory compliance. 4) Environmental concerns. 5) Resource recovery. 6) Infectious Wastes.

Obstacles Facing U.S. Companies Marketing Waste-to-Energy Overseas

Many countries overseas, for the first time, are beginning to explore the use of waste-to-energy plants as part of their integrated solid waste management plans. They are doing this for a number of reasons, which include geopolitical and economic pressures, as well as environmental. Overseas markets are actively seeking out, and wanting to apply the advancements made by U.S. waste-to-energy companies in the last three decades. U.S. companies have made U.S. waste-to-energy plants the least costly and most efficient plants in the world. U.S. waste-to-energy companies may be poised for new business opportunity for their systems in overseas markets. However, there are many obstacles to overcome in marketing technology and waste disposal services overseas. Where are those markets of opportunity? There are three criteria which can be used to screen for potential waste-to-energy markets: 1. Living standards; 2. Limitation on land use; and, 3. Rule of law. What are the cultural, geographic and competitive obstacles in marketing overseas? Can obstacles such as language, development costs, time zone differences, institutional experience with privatization, local and foreign competitive advantages be managed or medicated? An understanding of how a global economy impacts the marketing of U.S. waste-to-energy services is essential to formulating an overseas marketing plan.

Operation and Performance of a Fluidized Bed Boiler Firing Municipal Refuse Derived Fuel in Ravenna, Italy

In early 1998, the City of Ravenna, Italy, commissioned a fluid bed boiler/waste-to-energy system to combust approximately 50,000 tonnes per year of processed municipal waste and generate electrical power. Much of the fuel preparation and processing equipment was already in place and the primary focus of this project was to implement an environmentally acceptable energy conversion process compatible with the 6.0 tonnes per hour of fuel being processed. The fluid bed boiler system being provided incorporates state of the art environmental controls for abatement of all pollutants, including products of incomplete combustion (PIC’s), NOx, acid gases, and particulates. The project delivers an average of 70,000 pounds per hour of steam to generate approximately 7 MW of electricity.

Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility Capital Replacement Project: “Securing a Retrofit Investment — A Capital Replacement Initiative”

The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1990 set new emission standards for Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plants throughout the United States. Pinellas County, Florida, has achieved compliance with the new emission guidelines by completing an Air Pollution Control Retrofit to their Resource Recovery Facility (PCRRF) in 2000. Pinellas County, the owner of the PCRRF, now faces the challenge of preserving this investment for the years to come. This paper describes the additional investments being made by Pinellas County as part of the Capital Replacement Project (CRP) to extend the operating life of PCRRF.

Deploying a Mini-CEM System at the Hampton/NASA Steam Plant

The Hampton/NASA Steam Plant embarked on a project to replace the 16 year old emission monitors for the facility’s two refuse fired boiler units. The challenge was to install monitors that could fully meet the current EPA requirements while providing continuous monitoring with less than a one minute response time. The facility installed two Land FGA 930e analyzers close coupled to the outlet duct of the economizer. The sample conditioning system installed has enabled reliable operation while protecting the analyzers. The analyzers passed the initial RATA at the first try, and have been performing well over six months of operation. The total costs for the project was $75,800.

New FGD Developments in Europe

In Europe over the past 40 years there has been considerable social, regulatory, and economic pressures to manage solid waste in a manner that is beneficial to mankind. There have been many successful programs to minimize waste, recycle and reuse waste through energy conversion. As part of the energy conversion process strict air emissions emission standards have been adopted for waste-to-energy plants.