waste treatment and utilization technologies

7/30/2019 Waste treatment and utilization technologies

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Phase 1, Task 2:

Combustion Technologies

An assessment of applicable waste combustion technologies, processes, and reference

facilities capable of processing the waste streams identified in Phase 1, Task 1.

INSUPPORTOF:

SouthernAlbertaEnergyFromWasteAlliance

VulcanInnovationProject

VulcanCounty

102Center

Street,

Box

180

Vulcan,AlbertaT0L2B0

PREPAREDBY:

4838RichardRoadSW,Suite140

WestMountCorporateCampus

Calgary,AB T3E6L1

Approved by SAEWA Board: J anuary 27, 2012


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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

Southern Alberta Energy-from-Waste Alliance

Energy-from-Waste Research Project

February 1, 2012

i

Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................1

2.0 DESCRIPTIONOFTECHNOLOGIESTOBEEVALUATED..............................................................................3

2.1ANAEROBICDIGESTION..............................................................................................................................................4

2.2MECHANICALBIOLOGICALTREATMENT(MBT)..............................................................................................................4

2.3RDFPROCESSING.....................................................................................................................................................5

2.1RDFWITHSTOKERFIRING..........................................................................................................................................6

2.2RDFW/FLUIDIZEDBEDCOMBUSTION.........................................................................................................................6

2.3MASSBURNCOMBUSTION.........................................................................................................................................7

2.4CATALYTICDEPOLYMERIZATION...................................................................................................................................8

2.5HYDROLYSIS............................................................................................................................................................8

2.6PYROLYSIS...............................................................................................................................................................9

2.7GASIFICATION..........................................................................................................................................................9

2.8PLASMAARCGASIFICATION......................................................................................................................................10

2.9COMBINEDTECHNOLOGIES.......................................................................................................................................11

3.0 EVALUATIONANDIDENTIFICATIONOFSHORTLISTOFTECHNOLOGIES.................................................12

3.1ANAEROBICDIGESTION............................................................................................................................................14

3.2REFUSEDERIVEDFUELPROCESSINGANDCOMBUSTION.................................................................................................15

3.3MASSBURNCOMBUSTION......................................................................................................................................17

3.4CATALYTICDEPOLYMERIZATION.................................................................................................................................17

3.5HYDROLYSIS..........................................................................................................................................................18

3.6PYROLYSIS.............................................................................................................................................................18

3.7GASIFICATION........................................................................................................................................................19

3.8PLASMAARCGASIFICATION......................................................................................................................................21

3.9SUMMARYOFPHASEITECHNOLOGIESSCREENING........................................................................................................22

4.0 SHORTLISTOFTECHNOLOGIES.............................................................................................................23

5.0 NEXTSTEPS...........................................................................................................................................24

FiguresFigure 1 SAEWA Membership ................................................................................................................... 2

Figure 2 - Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Spain .............................................................................................. 4

Figure 3 - RDF Processing Facility, Virginia ................................................................................................. 5

Figure 4 - Spreader Stoker Unit .................................................................................................................... 6

Figure 5 - Fluidized Bed RDF Combustion, Wisconsin ................................................................................. 6

Figure 6 - Mass Burn Facility, Florida ........................................................................................................... 7

Figure 7 - Gasification Facility, Tokyo ......................................................................................................... 10

Figure 8 - Plasma Arc Gasification, Ottawa ................................................................................................ 11

Figure 9 - Gasification and Catalytic Synthesis, Alberta ............................................................................. 12

Figure 10 - Anaerobic Digestion Block Diagram ......................................................................................... 14


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February 1, 2012

ii

Figure 11 - Stockpiled RDF in Rennerod, Germany ................................................................................... 16

Figure 12 - Pyrolysis Block Diagram ........................................................................................................... 19

Figure 13- Gasification Block Diagram ....................................................................................................... 20

TablesTable 1: Waste Steams Identified in Task 1 .............................................................................................. 13

Table 2: Summary of Technology Screening ............................................................................................. 22

Appendices

AppendixAProcessFlowDiagrams


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February 1, 2012

1

1.0 Introduction

TheSouthernAlbertaEnergyfromWasteAlliance(SAEWA)isacoalitionofwastemanagement

jurisdictionscommittedtoresearchingandrecommendingforimplementation,technological

applicationsforrecoveringenergyfromwastematerials,andreducingrelianceonlandfills.

ThemembershipofSAEWAconsistsof16wasteauthoritieslistedbelowandincludedinFigure1:

BowValleyWasteManagementCommission

FoothillsRegionalServicesCommission

MDofRanchlandsNo.66

Crowsnest/PincherCreekLandfillAssociation

WillowCreekRegionalWasteManagementServicesCommission

WheatlandCounty

VulcanDistrictWasteCommission

LethbridgeRegionalWasteMgmtServicesCommission

Townof

Coalhurst

TownofCoaldale

ChiefMountainRegionalSolidWasteAuthority

NewellRegionalSolidWasteMgmtAuthority

Taber&districtRegionalWasteManagementAuthority

NorthFortyMileRegionalWasteMgmtCommission

SouthFortyWasteServicesCommission

SpecialAreasBoard(BigCountry)

InJuly2010,withtheassistanceofagrantfromRuralAlbertaDevelopmentFund,theteamofHDRand

AECOMwereretainedtoassistSAEWAinfurtherexploringtheopportunitiestodevelopanEnergy

fromWaste(EFW)facilityinSouthernAlberta. Thisresearchprojectconsistsoffour(4)phases,each

withaseries

of

tasks

as

follows:

Phase1(CurrentPhase) ProjectInitiation

TASK1: WASTEGENERATIONRATESANDFACILITYSIZING

TASK2: COMBUSTIONTECHNOLOGIES

ThecompletionofPhase1activitieswillresultintheidentificationofwastequantitiespotentially

availabletobemanaged,thesizeofthefacilityrequiredtomanagethesematerials;andthe

applicabletechnologiescapableofmanagingthequantityandcompositionofavailablewaste

streams.

Phase2ThecompletionofPhase2activitieswillresultintheidentificationofwastecollection,

transportationandhandlingimplicationswithassociatedsitingopportunities;heatrecoveryand

cogenerationoptions,includingpotentialmarket/sitingopportunities;anadditionallevelofdetail

withrespecttotheenvironmentalimplications(nowincludingtransportationimpactsfromTask3),

andthefacilitypermittingandsitingrequirements. Thisphasealsoincludesthedevelopmentofa


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Phase 1, Task 2: C



February 1, 2012

Figure 1 SAEWA Membership


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February 1, 2012

4

2.1Anaerobic digestionAnaerobicdigestion(AD)istheprocessofdecomposingtheorganicportionofMSWinacontrolled

oxygendeficientenvironment.Itiswidelyusedtodigestsewagesludgeandanimalmanures.Bacteria

produceabiogas

that

consists

mainly

of

methane,

water

vapor,

and

CO2

through

aprocess

called

methanogenesis. Thisisthesameprocessthatgeneratesmethanenaturallyinlandfillsandwetlands.

Usuallytheprocessisappliedtofoodandgreenwaste,agriculturalwaste,sludge,orothersimilarly

limitedsegmentsofthewastestream.Theavailabilityofsuitablefeedstockcanbealimitingfactorin

developmentofthistechnology.Thegasproducedcanbeusedasafuelforboilers,directlyinan

internalcombustionengineor,insufficientquantities,inagasturbinetoproduceelectricity. The

remainingresidueorsludge(digestate),whichcanbemorethan50%oftheinput,mayhavepotential

use.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.1inAppendixA.

OdourisacharacteristicofAD. Sitelocationandodourcontrolwouldbeamajorfactorinthe

implementationofthistechnology.

ADiswidelyusedonacommercialscalebasis

forindustrial

and

agricultural

wastes,

as

well

as

wastewatersludge. ADtechnologyhasbeen

appliedonalargerscaleinEuropeonmixed

MSWandsourceseparatedorganics(SSO),but

thereisonlylimitedcommercialscale

applicationinNorthAmerica. TheGreater

TorontoAreaishometotwooftheonly

commercialscaleplantsinNorthAmericathat

aredesignedspecificallyforprocessingSSO;

theDufferinOrganicProcessingFacilityin

TorontoandtheCCIEnergyFacilityin

Newmarket.There

are

anumber

of

smaller

facilitiesintheU.S.operatingoneithermixed

MSW,SSO,orinsomecasescodigestedwith

biosolids.

VendorsincludeArrowEcology,Urbaser(ValorgaInternational),MustangRenewablePowerVentures,

Ecocorp,OrganicWasteSystems,andGreenfinch.

2.2Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)Mechanicalbiologicaltreatment(MBT)isavariationoncompostingandmaterialsrecovery.This

technologyisgenerallydesignedtoprocessafullycommingledMSWstream.Processedmaterials

includemarketablemetals,glass,otherrecyclables,andarefusederivedfuel(RDF)thatcanbeusedfor

combustion.LimitedcompostingisusedtobreaktheMSWdownanddrythefuel.Theorderof

mechanicalseparating,shredding,andcompostingcanvary.

ThistechnologyhasbeenusedextensivelyinEurope,butnotinNorthAmerica. Itisaneffectivewaste

managementmethodandcanbebuiltinvarioussizes.TheRDFproducedbyanMBTprocessmustbe

handledinsomeway:fireddirectlyinaboiler;convertedtoenergyviasomethermalprocess(e.g.,

combustion,gasification,etc.);orsellingittoathirdparty(e.g.CementKiln). Owingtoitssimilarityto

Figure 2 - Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Spain


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February 1, 2012

5

RDFprocessinganditsuseofcompostingratherthananenergyrecoverytechnology,thisoptionwillnot

beincludedforfurtheranalysis.

ThistechnologyhasbeenusedinEurope,includingHerhofGmbHfacilitiesinGermany. Therehasnot

beenwidespreadcommercialapplicationofthistechnologyonmixedMSWstreamsinNorthAmerica.

Themajority

of

the

applications

for

this

technology

are

in

the

agricultural

and

meat

processing

industries. TheBedminsterBioconversioninvessel,mechanical,rotatingdrumtechnology(also

referredtoasrotarydigesters)usedattheEdmontonCompostingFacilityisanexampleofa

commerciallyavailableMBTtechnologythathasexperienceprocessingresidentialwaste. TheCityof

TorontoisalsoconsideringdevelopingacommercialscaleMBTfacilityatitsGreenLaneLandfillSite

locatedsouthwestofLondon.

2.3RDF ProcessingAnRDFprocessingsystempreparesMSWbyusingshredding,screening,airclassifyingandother

equipmenttoproduceafuelproductforeitheronsitecombustion,offsitecombustion,orusein

anotherconversiontechnologythatrequiresapreparedfeedstock.Aswithmechanicalbiological

treatment(MBT),

the

goal

of

this

technology

is

to

derive

abetter

fuel

(limited

variations

in

size

and

composition)thatcanbeusedinamoreconventionalsolidfuelboilerascomparedtoamassburn

boiler.Thetheoryisthatthesmallerboilerand

associatedequipmentwouldoffsetthecostof

theprocessingequipment.Thefuelgoesby

variousnamesbutgenerallyiscategorizedasa

refusederivedfuel(RDF).

Allofthepostrecyclingmunicipalwaste

streamcanbeprocessedbythistechnology

withlimitedpresorting.

Thissame

technology,

perhaps

with

some

differencessuchasfinershredding,isrequired

toprepareMSWasafeedstockforother

conversiontechnologies(discussedinlater

sections).

RDFtechnologyisaproventechnologythatis

usedatanumberofplantsintheU.S.,Europe

andAsia(generallylargerplantswithcapacities

greaterthan1,500tonnesperday). Therearealsoanumberofcommercialreadytechnologiesthat

convertthewastestreamintoastabilizedRDFpelletthatcanbefiredinanexistingcoalboileror

cementkiln. TheDongarafacilitylocatedinYorkRegionisanexampleofsuchaRDFtechnology. Some

otherRDF

plants

are

Ames,

IA;

Southeastern

Public

Service

Authority,

VA;

French

Island,

WI;

Mid

Connecticut;Honolulu,HI;andWestPalmBeach,FL. ThereislimiteduseofthistechnologyinEuropeor

Asia.

AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.2inAppendixA.

Vendors/SystemDesigners:EnergyAnswers;RRT;Dongara;WestrocEnergy;AmbientEcoGroup;and,

CobbCreations

Figure 3 - RDF Processing Facility, Virginia


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February 1, 2012

6

2.1RDF with Stoker FiringThistechnologyusesaspreaderstokertypeboilertocombustRDF.A

frontendprocessingsystemisrequiredtoproduceaconsistently

sizedfeedstock. (See2.3RDFProcessing.) TheRDFistypicallyblown

ormechanically

injected

into

aboiler

for

semi

suspension

firing.

Combustioniscompletedonatravelinggrate.Thermalrecovery

occursinanintegralwaterwallboiler.Airpollutioncontrol(APC)

equipmentonexistingunitsincludesgoodcombustionpractices,dry

scrubbersforacidgasneutralization,carboninjectionforcontrolof

mercuryandcomplexorganics(e.g.,dioxins),andfabricfiltersfor

particulateremoval. Thesefacilitiesarecapableofmeetingstringent

airemissionrequirements.Newunitswouldlikelyrequireadditional

NOxcontrolsuchasselectivenoncatalyticreduction(SNCR),

selectivecatalyticreduction(SCR)orfluegasrecirculation.

Thistechnologyisusedatthefollowingfacilitiesmentionedabove:

SoutheasternPublicServiceAuthority,VA;MidConnecticut;Honolulu,HI;andWestPalmBeach,FL.

BoilerVendors: Alstom;BabcockandWilcox;BabcockPower

2.2RDF w/ Fluidized Bed CombustionThistechnologyusesabubblingorcirculatingfluidizedbedofsandtocombustRDF.Afrontend

processingsystemisrequiredtoproduceaconsistentlysizedfeedstock. (See2.3RDFProcessing.) Heat

isrecoveredintheformofsteamfrom

waterwallsofthefluidizedbedunitaswellasin

downstreamboilerconvectionsections. The

requiredAPC

equipment

is

generally

similar

to

thatdescribedaboveforspreaderstokerunits.

Limecanbeaddeddirectlytothefluidizedbedto

helpcontrolacidgasessuchassulfurdioxide

(SO2). RDFmaybecofiredwithcoal,wood(asin

thecaseoftheFrenchIslandfacilityshown),or

othermaterials.

Thistechnologyisinlimitedcommercialusein

NorthAmericaforwasteapplicationswithone

operatingfacilityinWisconsin.Fluidizedbed

combustionismorecommonlyusedtodayfor

combustionof

certain

other

biomass

materials

and

coal

than

it

was

at

the

time

most

of

the

existing

RDF

facilitiesweredeveloped. ThistechnologywouldbesuitableforcombustionofRDFaloneortogether

withbiomassandothercombustiblematerialsthatareeithersuitablysized(nominally8cm)orcanbe

processedtoasuitablesize.

FluidizedBedBoilerVendors:EnvironmentalProductsofIdaho(EPI),VonRollInova,FosterWheeler,

andEbara.

Figure 4 - Spreader Stoker Unit

Figure 5 - Fluidized Bed RDF Combustion, Wisconsin


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February 1, 2012

7

2.3Mass-burn combustionMassBurncombustiontechnologycan

bedividedintotwomaintypes:(a)

gratebased,waterwallboiler

installations;and

(b)

modular,

shop

erectedcombustionunitswithshop

fabricatedwasteheatrecoveryboilers.

Themodularunitsaretypicallylimited

tolessthan200tonnesperdayandare

historicallyusedinfacilitieswherethe

totalthroughputisunder500tpd. The

largerMassBurnCombustionprocess

withwaterwallboilersfeedMSW

directlyintoaboilersystemwithno

preprocessingotherthantheremoval

oflarge

bulky

items

such

as

furniture

andwhitegoods. TheMSWistypically

pushedontoagratebyaramconnectedtohydrauliccylinders. Airisadmittedunderthegrates,into

thebedofmaterial,andadditionalairissuppliedabovethegrates. Theresultingfluegasespass

throughtheboilerandthesensibleheatenergyisrecoveredintheboilertubestogeneratesteam. This

createsthreestreamsofmaterial:Steam,FlueGasesandAsh. Thesteamcanbesolddirectlytoanend

usersuchasamanufacturingfacilityordistrictheatingloop,orsenttoaturbinegeneratorand

convertedintoelectricalpower,oracombinationoftheseuses. Inthesmallermodularmassburn

systems,MSWisfedintoarefractorylinedcombustorwherethewasteiscombustedonrefractorylined

hearths,orwithinarefractorylinedoscillatingcombustor(e.g.LaurentBouillet). Typicallythereisno

heatrecoveryintherefractorycombustors,butrather,thefluegasesexitthecombustorsandentera

heat

recovery

steam

generator,

or

waste

heat

boiler,

where

steam

is

generated

by

the

sensible

heat

in

thefluegas,resultinginthesamethreestreams:steam,fluegas,andash. Thebottomashfrommass

burncombustionmayalsobeusedasaconstructionbasematerial,whichisacommonenduseforthis

byproductinEurope. Theflyashfromtheboilerandfluegastreatmentequipmentiscollected

separatelyandcaneitherbetreatedordisposedofdirectlyasahazardousmaterialinCanada.

Massburntechnologiesutilizeanextensivesetofairpollutioncontrol(APC)devicesforfluegasclean

up.ThetypicalAPCequipmentusedinclude:eitherselectivecatalyticreduction(SCR)ornoncatalytic

reduction(SNCR)forNOxemissionsreduction;spraydryerabsorbers(SDA)orscrubbersforacidgas

reduction;activatedcarboninjection(CI)formercuryanddioxinsreduction;andafabricfilterbaghouse

(FF)forparticulateandheavymetalsremoval.

Largescaleandmodularmassburncombustiontechnologyisusedincommercialoperationsatmore

than80

facilities

in

the

U.S.,

two

in

Canada,

and

more

than

500

in

Europe,

as

well

as

anumber

in

Asia.

Examplesoflargerscalegratesystemtechnologyvendors(someoffermorethanonedesign)include:

MartinGmbH,VonRollInova,KeppelSeghers,Steinmuller,FisiaBabcock,Volund,Takuma,andDetroit

Stoker. Someexamplesofsmallerscaleandmodularmassburncombustionvendorsinclude:Enercon,

LaurentBouillet,Consutech,andPioneerPlus. AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.3in

AppendixA.

Figure 6 - Mass Burn Facil ity, Florida


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February 1, 2012

8

2.4Catalytic DepolymerizationInacatalyticdepolymerizationprocess,theplastics,syntheticfibrecomponentsandwaterintheMSW

feedstockreactwithacatalystundernonatmosphericpressureandtemperaturestoproduceacrude

oil.Thiscrudeoilcanthenbedistilledtoproduceasyntheticgasolineorfuelgradediesel.Thereare

fourmajor

steps

in

acatalytic

depolymerization

process:

Pre

processing,

Process

Fluid

Upgrading,

CatalyticReaction,andSeparationandDistillation.ThePreprocessingstepisverysimilartotheRDF

processwheretheMSWfeedstockisseparatedintoprocessresidue,metalsandRDF. Thisprocess

typicallyrequiresadditionalprocessingtoproduceamuchsmallerparticlesizewithlesscontamination.

ThenextstepintheprocessispreparingthisRDF.TheRDFismixedwithwaterandacarrieroil

(hydraulicoil)tocreateRDFsludge.ThisRDFsludgeissentthroughacatalyticturbinewherethe

reactionunderhightemperatureandpressureproducesalightoil.Thelightoilisthendistilledto

separatethesyntheticgasolineordieseloil.

Thiscatalyticdepolymerizationprocessissomewhatsimilartothatusedatanoilrefinerytoconvert

crudeoilintousableproducts. Thistechnologyismosteffectivewithprocessingawastestreamwitha

highplasticscontentandmaynotbesuitableforamixedMSWstream. Theneedforahighplastics

contentfeedstockalsolimitsthesizeofthefacility.

TherearenolargescalecommercialcatalyticdepolymerizationfacilitiesoperatinginNorthAmericathat

useapurelymixedMSWstreamasafeedstock. TherearesomefacilitiesinEuropethatutilizethisora

similarprocesstoconvertwasteplastics,wasteoils,andotherselectfeedstocks. Onevendorclaimsto

haveacommercialscalefacilityinSpainthathasbeeninoperationsincethesecondhalfof2009.

However,operatingdataoranupdateonthestatusofthisfacilitycouldnotbeobtained.

Therearealsotechnologyvendorsthatutilizeaprocessthatisthermalinnature(e.g.,gasification,

pyrolysis)toconverttheMSWstreamtoasyngasthatisfurthertreatedbyachemicalprocess,suchas

depolymerizationoranassociatedrefiningprocess(e.g.,FischerTropschsynthesis),togeneratea

syntheticgasolineordieselfuel. TheCityofEdmontonprojectinAlberta,CanadathatusestheEnerkem

technologyis

an

example

of

acommercial

scale

facility

that

will

use

such

aprocess.

The

City

of

Edmontonhasconductedsomepilottesting,andthecommercialscaleprojectiscurrentlyin

construction(scheduledtobeoperationalby2012).

AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.4inAppendixA.

Someexamplesofvendorsthatprovidecatalyticdepolymerizationtypetechnologiesinclude:ConFuel

K2,AlphaKat/KDV,Enerkem,ChangingWorldTechnologies,andGreenPowerInc.

2.5HydrolysisThereismuchinterestanddevelopmentintheareaofcellulosicethanoltechnologytomovefromcorn

basedethanolproductiontotheuseofmoreabundantcellulosicmaterials. Applyingthesetechnologies

towaste

materials

using

hydrolysis

is

part

of

that

development.

ThehydrolysisprocessinvolvesthereactionofthewaterandcellulosefractionsintheMSWfeedstock

(e.g.,paper,foodwaste,yardwaste,etc.)withastrongacid(e.g.,sulfuricacid)toproducesugars.Inthe

nextprocessstep,thesesugarsarefermentedtoproduceanorganicalcohol.Thisalcoholisthen

distilledtoproduceafuelgradeethanolsolution.Hydrolysisisamultistepprocessthatincludesfour

majorsteps:Pretreatment;Hydrolysis;Fermentation;andDistillation.SeparationoftheMSWstreamis

necessarytoremovetheinorganic/inertmaterials(glass,plastic,metal,etc.)fromtheorganicmaterials


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February 1, 2012

9

(foodwaste,yardwaste,paper,etc.).Theorganicmaterialisshreddedtoreducethesizeandtomake

thefeedstockmorehomogenous.Theshreddedorganicmaterialisplacedintoareactorwhereitis

introducedtotheacidcatalyst. Thecelluloseintheorganicmaterialisconvertedintosimplesugars.

Thesesugarscanthenbefermentedandconvertedintoanalcoholwhichisdistilledintofuelgrade

ethanol.The

byproducts

from

this

process

are

carbon

dioxide

(from

the

fermentation

step),

gypsum

(fromthehydrolysisstep)andlignin(noncellulosematerialfromthehydrolysisstep). Sincetheacid

actsonlyasacatalyst,itcanbeextractedandrecycledbackintotheprocess.

Therehavebeensomedemonstrationandpilotscalehydrolysisapplicationscompletedusingmixed

MSWandotherselectwastestreams. However,therehasbeennowidespreadcommercialapplication

ofthistechnologyinNorthAmericaorabroad. Acommercialscalehydrolysisfacilityhasbeen

permittedforconstructioninMonroe,NewYorkintheU.S.,butthisprojectiscurrentlyonhold.

Someexamplesofvendorsthatoffersomeformofthehydrolysistechnologyinclude:MasadaOxyNol;

Biofine;and,ArkenolFuels.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.5inAppendixA.

2.6PyrolysisPyrolysisisgenerallydefinedastheprocessofheatingMSWinanoxygendeficientenvironmentto

produceacombustiblegaseousorliquidproductandacarbonrichsolidresidue.Thisissimilartowhat

isdonetoproducecokefromcoalorcharcoalfromwood.Thefeedstockcanbetheentiremunicipal

wastestream,but,insomecases,presortingorprocessingisusedtoobtainarefusederivedfuel. (See

2.3RDFProcessing.) Somemodularcombustorsuseatwostagecombustionprocessinwhichthefirst

chamberoperatesinalowoxygenenvironmentandthecombustioniscompletedinthesecond

chamber.Similartogasification,oncecontaminantshavebeenremoved,thegasorliquidderivedfrom

theprocesscanbeusedinaninternalcombustionengineorgasturbineorasafeedstockforchemical

production.Generally,pyrolysisoccursatalowertemperaturethangasification,althoughthebasic

processesaresimilar.

Pyrolysissystems

have

had

some

success

with

wood

waste

feedstocks.

Several

attempts

to

commercializelargescaleMSWprocessingsystemsintheU.S.inthe1980sfailed,butthereareseveral

pilotprojectsatvariousstagesofdevelopment.Therehavebeensomecommercialscalepyrolysis

facilitiesinoperationinEurope(e.g.Germany)onselectwastestreams. Vendorsclaimthatthe

activatedcarbonbyproductfromthepyrolysisismarketable,butthishasnotbeendemonstrated.

Someexamplesofvendorsthatofferthepyrolysistechnologyinclude:BrightstarEnvironmental,Mitsui,

CompactPower,PKA,ThideEnvironmental,WasteGenUK,InternationalEnvironmentalSolutions(IES),

SMUDATechnologies(plasticsonly),andUtahValleyEnergy. Aprocessflowdiagramisprovidedin

FigureA.6inAppendixA.

2.7GasificationGasification

converts

carbonaceous

material

into

asynthesis

gas

or

syngas

composed

primarily

of

carbonmonoxideandhydrogen.Followingacleaningprocesstoremovecontaminantsthissyngascan

beusedasafueltogenerateelectricitydirectlyinacombustionturbine,orfiredinaHRSGtocreate

steamthatcanbeusedtogenerateelectricityviasteamcondensingturbine. Thesyngasgeneratedcan

alsobeusedasachemicalbuildingblockinthesynthesisofgasolineordieselfuel. Thefeedstockfor

mostgasificationtechnologiesmustbepreparedintoRDFdevelopedfromtheincomingMSW,orthe

technologymayonlyprocessaspecificsubsetofwastematerialssuchaswoodwaste,tires,carpet,


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February 1, 2012

10

scrapplastic,orotherwastestreams. SimilartoFluidizedBedCombustion,theseprocessestypically

requiremorefrontendseparationandmoresizereduction,andresultinlowerfuelyields(lessfuelper

tonneofMSWinput). Thereexistsonetechnology,Thermoselect,whichdoesnotrequire

preprocessingoftheincomingMSWsimilartoamassburncombustionsystem.

Thefeedstock

reacts

in

the

gasifier

with

steam

and

sometimes

air

or

oxygen

at

high

temperatures

and

pressuresinareducing(oxygenstarved)environment. Inadditiontocarbonmonoxideandhydrogen,

thesyngasconsistsofwater,smallerquantitiesofCO2,andsomemethane. Processingofthesyngas

canbecompletedinanoxygendeficientenvironment,orthegasgeneratedcanbepartiallyorfully

combustedinthesamechamber.Thelow tomidMegajoulesyngascanbecombustedinaboiler,or

followingacleanupprocessagasturbine,orengineorusedinchemicalrefining.Ofthesealternatives,

boilercombustionisthemostcommon,butthecycleefficiencycanbeimprovedifthegascanbe

processedinanengineorgasturbine,particularlyifthewasteheatisthenusedtogeneratesteamand

additionalelectricityinacombinedcyclefacility.

Airpollutioncontrolequipmentsimilartothatofamass

burnunitwillberequiredifthesyngasisuseddirectlyin

aboiler.

If

the

syngas

is

conditioned

for

use

elsewhere,

theconditioningequipmentwillneedtoaddressacid

gases,mercury,tarsandparticulates.

Gasificationhasbeenproventoworkonselectwaste

streams,particularlywoodwastes. However,the

technologydoesnothavealotofcommercialscale

successusingmixedMSWwhenattemptedintheU.S.

andEurope. Japanhasseveraloperatingcommercial

scalegasificationfacilitiesthatclaimtoprocessatleast

someMSW.InJapan,onegoaloftheprocessisto

generateavitrifiedashproducttolimittheamountofmaterialhavingtobedivertedtoscarcelandfills.

Inaddition,

many

university

size

research

and

development

units

have

been

built

and

operated

on

an

experimentalbasisinNorthAmericaandabroad. AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.7in

AppendixA.

Examplesofanumberofpotentialgasificationvendorsinclude:Thermoselect,Ebara,Primenergy,

BrightstarEnvironmental,Erergos,TaylorBiomassEnergy,SilvaGas,Technip,CompactPower,PKA,and

NewPlanetEnergy.

2.8Plasma Arc GasificationPlasmaarctechnologyusescarbonelectrodestoproduceaveryhightemperaturearcrangingbetween

3,000to7,000degreesCelsiusthatvaporizesthefeedstock. Thehighenergyelectricarcthatisstruck

betweenthe

two

carbon

electrodes

creates

ahigh

temperature

ionized

gas

(or

plasma).

The

intense

heatoftheplasmabreakstheMSWandtheotherorganicmaterialsfedtothereactionchamberinto

basicelementalcompounds. Theinorganicfractions(glass,metals,etc.)oftheMSWstreamaremelted

toformaliquidslagmaterialwhichwhencooledandhardenedencapsulatestoxicmetals. Theash

materialformsaninertglasslikeslagmaterialthatmaybemarketableasaconstructionaggregate.

Metalscanberecoveredfrombothfeedstockpreprocessingandfromthepostprocessingslag

material.

Figure 7 - Gasification Facility, Tokyo


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February 1, 2012

11

Similartogasificationandpyrolysisprocesses,theMSWfeedstockispreprocessedtoremovebulky

wasteandotherundesirablematerials,aswellasforsizereduction.Plasmatechnologyalsoproducesa

syngas;thisfuelcanbecombustedandtheheatrecoveredinaHRSG,orthesyngascanbecleanedand

combusteddirectlyinaninternalcombustionengineor

gasturbine.

Electricity

and/or

thermal

energy

(i.e.

steam,hotwater)canbeproducedbythistechnology.

Vendorsofthistechnologyclaimefficienciesthatare

comparabletoconventionalmassburntechnologies

(600700+kWh/tonne(net)).Somevendorsare

claimingevenhigherefficiencies(9001,200

kWh/tonne(net)).Thesehigherefficienciesmaybe

feasibleifacombinedcyclepowersystemisproposed.

However,theelectricityrequiredtogeneratethe

plasmaarc,aswellastheotherauxiliarysystems

required,bringsintoquestionwhethermoreelectrical

powerorotherenergyproductscanbeproducedthan

whatisconsumedintheprocess.

Thistechnologyclaimstoachievelowerharmfulemissionsthanmoreconventionaltechnologies,like

massburnandRDFprocesses. However,APCequipmentsimilartoothertechnologieswouldstillbe

requiredforthecleanupofthesyngasorotheroffgases.

Plasmatechnologyhasreceivedconsiderableattentionrecently,andthereareseverallargescale

projectsbeingplannedinNorthAmerica(e.g.SaintLucieCounty,Florida;AtlanticCounty,NewJersey).

Inaddition,thereareanumberofcommercialscaledemonstrationfacilitiesinNorthAmerica,including

thePlascoEnergyFacilityinOttawa,OntarioandtheAlterNRGdemonstrationfacilityinMadison,

PennsylvaniaintheU.S. PyroGenesisCanada,Inc.,basedoutofMontreal,Quebec,alsohasa

demonstrationunit(approximately10tpd)locatedonHulburtAirForceBaseinFloridathathasbeenin

variousstages

of

start

up

since

2010.

ThereareanumberofPlasmaArctechnologyvendors,includingStartech,Geoplasma,PyroGenesis

Canada,Inc.,Westinghouse,AlterNRG,PlascoEnergy,IntegratedEnvironmentalTechnologiesand

Coronal.

2.9Combined TechnologiesGasificationsystemshavebeenproposedtobecombinedwithothertechnologiestoattemptto

producealiquidfuel. TheEnerkemAlbertaBiofuelsprojectinCalgaryproposestousegasification

followedbycatalyticsynthesisofthesyngastoproduceethanol. Agasificationfacilityproposedby

InterstateWasteTechnologies(IWT)inTaunton,Massachusettsthatranintoapprovaldifficultiesowing

toastatewideincinerationbanhadalsoproposedconvertingthesyngastoethanol.

Thesearefacilitiesthatwouldbeconsidereddemonstrationfacilitiesbecausethetechnologyhasnot

previouslybeenprovencommerciallyonamunicipalsolidwastefeedstock.

Vendors: Enerkem,IWT

Figure 8 - Plasma Arc Gasification, Ottawa


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February 1, 2012

12

Source: www.enerkem.com

Figure 9 - Gasification and Catalytic Synthesis, Alberta

3.0 Evaluation and Identification of Short-List of Technologies

ThetechnologiesdiscussedinSection2.0coverawidespectrumofwasteprocessingapproaches. The

screeninginthissectionidentifiesthetechnologiesapplicabletothewastestreamidentifiedinTask1of

thisprojectthatareproven,orthathaveshownarealpotentialtoworkefficientlyandreliablyinNorth

Americaandabroad,fromthosethathavenotbeeneffectivelyimplemented. Effectivelyimplementedhasseveralcomponentsincludingareliableprocessandeconomicviabilitycomparedtoother

technologieswiththesamegoal(wastereductionorenergygeneration)togetherwithalackof

environmentaleffectsthataredifficulttomanageorpermit.

Thecriteria

included

in

the

screening

process

are

as

follows:

StateofDevelopment;

EnvironmentalConsiderations;

Risk;and,

ApplicabilitytothewastestreamidentifiedinTask1.

Thestateofdevelopmentoftechnologiesbeingconsideredinthisevaluationvarieswidely. One

technologyisincommercialoperationusingMSWasafeedstockinnumerousfacilitiesworldwide.

AnotherisinlimitedcommercialoperationusingsupplementedMSWasafeedstockinJapan. Athirdis

inoperationusingaselectedportionoftheMSWwastestreamatafewcommercialinstallationsin

Europe. Othershavedemonstrationand/orpilotfacilitiesinoperationordevelopmentusingMSWasa

feedstock. Somehaveprototypefacilitiesunderconstruction. Someareyettobedeveloped

commercially.Thesedifferenceswillbetabulatedforcomparison.

Eachofthetechnologieswillposeenvironmentalconsiderations. Thedifferences,ifany,intheabilityof

thetechnologiestocomplywithpermitrequirementswillbetabulatedforcomparison. These

environmentalconsiderationswillbeassessedingreaterdetailinlatertasksofthisstudyandwill

includethepotentialairemissions,waterconsumptionand/ordischarge,andlandrequirements.


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February 1, 2012

14

WasteStream

PotentiallyAvailable

WasteforSAEWA

(Tonnes/year)

OtherWaste

Sources:

ICISectorWaste 0

AgriculturalWaste 0

Biosolids 1,232

ContaminatedSoils 0

CombustibleOilfieldWaste 2,500

RailwayTies 124,650

SpecifiedRiskMaterials MBM 27,500

TOTAL 366,032

Atablehasalsobeenpreparedshowingtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthevarioustechnologies

andashortlistofreasonabletechnologiesidentified.

3.1Anaerobic DigestionAnaerobicdigestionisusedextensivelyfor

processingwastewater

treatment

sludge,

butithasnotbeenusedextensivelyfor

treatingMSW. Thereareseveralplantsin

EuropetreatingaportionoftheMSW

stream. InNorthAmericaanaerobic

digestionwithenergyrecoveryiscommonin

wastewatertreatmentapplications,buthas

yettobeemployedcommerciallyusing

MSWasafeedstock.

Figure10showsablockdiagramofan

anaerobicdigestionprocess. Thedigestion

processis

similar

to

what

occurs

in

alandfill

andcanbequitemalodourous.Most

systemsaresmallerissizeduetothelimited

feedstock.AlowBtugasmightbecollected

forenergyrecoveryinaboiler,engine,or

otherdevice,orinsmallquantitiesitcould

beflared.Theremainingresidueorsludge,whichcanbemorethan50%oftheinput,couldbescreened

andusedasasoilamendment.Anaerobicdigestioncouldreducethetotalwastestreambylessthan

Figure 10 - Anaerobic Digestion Block Diagram


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February 1, 2012

15

10%to20%,dependingonthelevelofsourceseparatedcollectionandthetypesofmaterials

processed.

Theenvironmentalrisksincludepotentialemissionsofmethaneandothergreenhousegases.Minor

hydrocarbonemissionscanoccurandresultinodourcomplaintsfromneighbors.Somewatermightbe

used;however,

in

many

cases,

excess

water

would

be

discharged

from

the

facility.

Depending

on

the

feedstock,thesoilamendmentproductcouldhavetracemetalsorothercontaminants. Upon

combustionofthemethaneNOxemissionsmayrequirecontrol.

Theprimaryriskassociatedwiththistechnologywouldbethepotentialforodours. Iffeedstockother

thansourceseparatedorganicmaterialsisutilized,therewouldberiskofdifficultieswithprocessing

materialsaswellasperformanceissuesassociatedwithdeleteriousmaterialsinthewastestream.

Thistechnologywouldbeabletohandlefoodwasteorothersourceseparatedorganicmaterials,butit

wouldnotbeapplicabletotheentirewastestream. Itmaybeaviabledisposaloptionforthe25,000to

30,000tonnesperyearofmeatandbonemealfromSRMidentifiedinTask1aswellasaportionofthe

MSWstreamidentified. UsingADtomanageSRMmustbeapprovedbytheCFIA.

Conclusion

Forselect

portions

of

the

waste

stream

identified

in

Task

1this

would

be

considered

a

proventechnologypresentinglimitedrisk. Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.This

technologywillbeincludedontheshortlist,however,willnotbeabletomanagetheentirewaste

streamidentifiedaspotentiallyavailable.

3.2Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing and CombustionRDFfacilitiescanbeusedtoaddressnearlytheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1. Useofthe

railroadtieswouldrequirepreshredding. Facilitiescanrangeinsizefromseveralhundredtonnesper

daytomorethan3,000tonnesperday. Historically,RDFfacilitieswerelargetotakeeconomic

advantageofthereducedsizeofthecombustionequipment. Recyclingprocessescanalsobebuiltinto

anRDFfacility;however,thesedirtyMRFs(whichsortmixedMSWandrecyclables)usuallyarelimited

intheir

productivity.

Metals

can

usually

be

sorted

by

magnets

and

eddy

current

separators.

An

RDF

facilitystrivestodevelopaconsistentlysizedfuelwitharelativelyconstantheatingvalue.These

facilitiescanemploymultipleshreddingstages,largetrommelscreensorothertypesofscreensfor

sizing,severalstagesofmagnets,andpossiblyairseparationandeddycurrentmagnets.Theproduct

wouldtypicallyhaveanominalparticlesizeof9to10cm,havethegritandmetalslargelyremoved,and

bereadytofeedintoaboiler.

ThecomplexityofanRDFfacilitycanbequitehigh,sincetheplantattemptstoproduceafuelwitha

consistentsize,moistureandashcontent.Thefuelusermightbededicatedand/orlocatedonsiteor

nearby.Itisalsopossiblethatthefuelproducedcouldbesuppliedtoanexistingoffsiteboilerthatcan

handletheRDFasasupplementalfeedstock.Someexistingwoodorcoalfiredboilerscouldbeableto

processtheRDFandsaveonfuelcosts.However,corrosionisaconcernforboilersthatarenotdesigned

forRDF.

OtherRDFfacilitiescanbeclassifiedasashredandburnstyle,whichshredthematerialand

magneticallyremoveferrousmetalswithoutremovingfines. SomeRDFfacilitieshaveconvertedto

shredandburnthroughblankingthesmallholesintrommels. Thepurposeforthisistoreducethe

overallamountofresidue(fines)landfilled.


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February 1, 2012

16

ThereareseveralexamplesofRDFplantsintheU.S.thatusevaryingdegreesofpreprocessingandRDF

production.RDFfrontendprocessingcancreatechallengesforthefacility.Explosionscanoccurinthe

shredders,thusrequiring,ataminimum,theprimaryshredderstobeplacedinexplosionresistant

bunkers.MSWisveryabrasive,whichcauseswearandtearonallcomponents.Allsystemsaresubject

tohigh

maintenance

costs

and

require

extensive

repairs

and

frequent

cleaning

to

keep

the

facility

online.Normally,processingoccursononeortwoshiftswithashiftreservedeachdayforcleaningand

maintenance.Therefore,processingsystemsneedtobesizedlargerthantheassociatedboilers,and

storagecapacitymustbeprovidedbothforincomingwasteandforRDFtokeepthefacilityrunning

smoothly.

FullscalecommercialfacilitiesexistintheU.S.,soitisconsideredademonstratedtechnology.

WhenthecombustionandpowergenerationfacilitiesarenotcolocatedwiththeRDFprocessing,

arrangementscanbehardtoestablishandmaintainwhichincreasestheoperatingrisktotheRDF

facilityifthepowerplantdecidestostopacceptingthesupplementalfuel. Asanexample,duringsite

visitstoGermanyinMarch2007,studyteammembersobservedsignificantRDFstockpilesduetoaloss

intheavailablemarkettotakethematerial.

Figure 11 - Stockpiled RDF in Rennerod, Germany

RDFfacilitieswillhavesomeairemissionsdirectlyfromtheprocessingaswellasfromtheboiler.

Fugitive

particulates

from

the

process

must

be

controlled.

Odours

could

be

an

issue

from

the

processingfacility.ThecombustionsystemwillhavesimilarairemissionconsiderationsandsimilarAPC

equipmentasmassburnfacilities. Theresiduefromtheprocessingcouldbelandfilledandcouldbe

usedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases. Ashfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobe

landfilled. Waterwillberequiredforthefacility,anddesignfeaturescouldbeprovidedtoeliminate

discharges. Allofthesefactorscanbeaddressedthroughproperdesignengineering.


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February 1, 2012

17

Conclusion FortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven

technologypresentinglimitedrisk. Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireashredderinadditiontothe

typicalRDFprocessingequipment. Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnology

willbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.3Mass-Burn CombustionMassburntechnologyisthemostdemonstratedandcommerciallyviableofthetechnologiesavailable.

Iftherailroadtiesareshredded,thetechnologyissuitabletohandletheentirewastestreamidentified

inTask1.ProjectsofvarioussizesexistintheU.S.andthroughouttheworld.Wasteisadifficultand

variablematerialtodealwith,andthemassburnapproachminimizesthehandlingandprocessingof

thismaterial.

APCequipmentisrequiredtoaddressmercuryandcomplexorganics(activatedcarboninjection),NOx

(selectivenoncatalyticreduction,SNCRorselectivecatalyticreduction,SCR),acidgases(dryscrubber),

andparticulatematter(fabricfiltersorbaghouse). APCequipmentisavailabletomeetstringent

emissionrequirements.

Ashresiduegeneratedwillbeabout30%oftheincomingweightandabout10%ofthevolume.Ferrous

andnonferrousmetalscanberecoveredfromtheash.Ithasbeendemonstratedthatthecombinedash

canachievetherequirementstobeclassifiedasnonhazardousandcanbedisposedinalandfill.Often

thematerialisusedasdailycoverandforotherlandfilluses.Somedemonstrationprojectshaveshown

thatatleastthebottomashcanbescreenedforuseasanaggregateandusedasroadbedsubgrade

material,formedintoartificialreefs,usedforminecapping,oremployedforotheruses.However,large

scalecommercialendusesfortheashhavenotoccurredinNorthAmerica. InEurope,bottomashis

keptseparatefromflyash,andallthebottomashistypicallyusedasaggregate.

Waterwillberequiredforthefacilityandazerodischargedesigncouldbedevelopedsimilartowhatis

proposedforthenewDurhamYorkEnergyCentreinOntario.

Conclusion

Forthe

entire

waste

stream

identified

in

Task

1this

would

be

considered

aproven

technologypresentinglimitedrisk. Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodelivery

ofthematerialtotherefusepit. Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnology

willbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.4Catalytic DepolymerizationCatalyticdepolymerizationhasbeenproposedinsomelocationsforselectportionsofthewastestream

withconcentratedplasticscontent.Itmightbemosteffectivelyappliedataverylargeplastics

manufacturingfacilityorsimilarindustrythatcanbecomethesourceofthefeedstock.Becausesuch

arrangementsareveryrare,limitedinterestinthistechnologyhasdeveloped.Somevendorsclaimthat

oilproductscouldbeproduced.Thisprocesswouldbeabletoaddressasmallpercentageofthewaste

stream

the

plastics,

which

would

have

to

be

segregated.

No

such

waste

streams

were

identified

in

Task1.

Few,ifany,demonstrationprojectsandtestshavemovedbeyondthelaboratorystageofdevelopment.

NoknowncommercialfacilitiesareinoperationusingMSWasafeedstock.

Similarly,theenvironmentalrisksarenotwelldefined.Inadditiontotheenvironmentalrisksofany

similartechnology,catalyticcrackingcouldemitsomehydrocarbonsfromtheprocess.Therecouldalso


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February 1, 2012

18

besomeotherrisksresultingfromthehandlingofthecatalystsorsolventsandrelatedcompoundsthat

mightberequiredfortheprocess.Waterconsumptionrequirementsandwastewaterdischargeisnot

known.

Conclusion Thiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreams

identifiedin

Task

1.

The

technology

would

present

substantial

performance

risks.

This

technology

will

notbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.5HydrolysisLikecatalyticcracking,hydrolysiswilladdressonlyaportionofthetotalwastestream.Thisprocess

wouldusethecelluloserichportionofthewaste. Somevendorsclaimthatmarketableethanol,

methane,orotherproductscouldbeproduced.Thisprocesswouldbeabletoaddressonlyuptoabout

20%ofthepaper/celluloserelatedfractionofthewastestream. Nopracticalfeedstockforthisprocess

wasidentifiedinTask1.

Fewdemonstrationprojectsandtestshavebeencompleted,andthosethathavewerefocusedonthe

useof

corn

stover

and

other

biomass

materials

for

ethanol

production.

Tests

with

mixed

waste

or

even

paperfeedstockhavebeenlimited,andthereforecostinformationislimited.Noknowncommercial

facilitiesareinoperationwithmixedwasteasafeedstock.

Similarly,theenvironmentalrisksarenotwelldefined.Inadditiontotheenvironmentalrisksofany

associatedtechnology,therewouldbesomeemissionsrisksrelatedtomethaneemissionsorissues

dealingwithpotentialchemicalspills.Itisexpectedthatsignificantquantitiesofwaterwouldbe

consumedandwastewaterdischargewouldberequired.

Conclusion Thiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreamidentified

inTask1.Thetechnologywouldpresentsubstantialperformancerisks. Thistechnologywillnotbe

includedontheshortlist.

3.6PyrolysisPyrolysishasbeenattemptedinalimitednumberofMSWcombustionfacilitiesintheU.S.andisin

operationinatleastonefacilityinEurope.Thecombustionprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunits

wouldlikelyrequireapreparedfuelthatisadequatelysized.Thetechnologycanprocessnearlyallthe

postrecycledwastestream.Ifpreprocessingisconducted,theremovalofmetals,glass,andotherinert

materialswouldbebeneficialfortheoperationofthepyrolysisunit.

Pyrolysishasbeenattemptedtoprocessspecificwastecomponentssuchasshreddedwoodorused

tires.Ahighcarboncontentcharandalowenergygasoraliquidfuelareproduced.Formationof

charcoalfromwoodorcokefromcoalisapyrolyticprocess.Normally,theprocessiscompletedinan

oxygendeficientenvironmenttolimitthecombustionofthefeedstockandmaximizethefuel

generation.A

larger

quantity

of

residue

remains

for

pyrolysis

than

for

other

thermal

processes.

The

char

couldconceivablyberecoveredandcombustedorusedforotherpurposes.


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February 1, 2012

19

Figure 12 - Pyrolysis Block Diagram

Historically,afewlargescalefacilitieswerebuiltintheU.S.andhadmechanicalandotherproblems

whenprocessingmixedwaste.OfparticularnotewerelargescalepyrolysisplantsbuiltnearBaltimore

andSanDiego.Theywerescaledupfrompilotprojectsandwereneverabletofunctionatacommercial

scale.Several

other

projects

were

also

completed

but

none

have

proved

to

be

economically

viable.

In

Germany,atleastonepyrolysisfacilityisoperating.Itwasbuiltinthemid1980sandappearstostillbe

operatingtoday.Itisarelativelylowcapacityfacilityandhasnotbeenreplicatedonalargerscale.At

leastoneotherlargerscaleprojectwasattemptedinthemid1990sinGermanyusinganother

technology,butoperationalproblemsforceditsclosureafterashorttime.

Facilitiesusingthepyrolyticoilandotherproductsasfuelcouldhavesomeofthesameairemissions

considerationsasmassburnfacilities.LessSO2mightbegeneratedinthegasoroil,becausemostof

thesulfurisexpectedtostaywiththechar.However,ifthechariscombusted,thesulfurcouldbe

released.UnitsthatheatthefeedstockinanoxygendeficientenvironmentwouldproducelessNOx.

Mercurywouldbeexpectedtobelargelydrivenoffwiththegasandwouldhavetobedealtwithfrom

theexhaustofthegascombustiondevice.Othermetalscouldremainwiththecharandcouldlargelybe

separatedfrom

the

char

prior

to

combustion

with

asuitable

processing

system.

Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacility,andwastewatermightbedischarged.Odourscouldbean

issuefromtheprocessingfacility.Residuewillneedtobeaddressed.Theresiduefromtheprocessing

couldbelandfilledandcouldbeusedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases.Ashremainingafter

combustingthecharfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobelandfilledafterdemonstrating

nonhazardousproperties.

Conclusion Thiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreamidentified

inTask1.Thetechnologywouldpresentsubstantialperformancerisks. Thistechnologywillnotbe

includedontheshortlist.

3.7Gasification

Gasificationandpyrolysisaresomewhatsimilartechnologies.Gasificationtechnologygenerallyinvolves

higheroperatingtemperatures.Gasificationtechnologyhasbeenindevelopmentinanumberof

locationsintheU.S.andaroundtheworld.Generally,theprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunits

requireapreparedfuelwithmuchoftheinertmaterials(glass,metals,etc.)removedandtheremaining

materialsizedtotherequirementsoftheunit.Thetechnologycanprocessnearlytheentirepost

recycledwastestream.


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February 1, 2012

20

GasificationofwoodhasbeenpracticedsuccessfullyonalargescalesinceWorldWarII,andcoal

gasificationisreceivingalotofattentionrightnow.GasificationofMSWislimitedtoafewsmallscale

operationsinNorthAmericaandJapan,althoughseveralcompaniesareworkingaggressivelyto

implementfullscalefacilities.

Normally,the

process

is

completed

in

an

oxygen

deficient

environment

to

limit

the

combustion

of

the

feedstockandproduceasyngascomposedprimarilyofCO.Intheory,thegascanbeprocessedinagas

turbineorenginebutismoretypicallyburnedinaboilerspecificallydesignedforthegasification

products.

Figure 13- Gasification Block Diagram

AtleasttwolargecommercialscalegasificationsystemsweredevelopedandbuiltinGermany.

Operationalproblemshaveresultedintheshutdownandclosureofthefacilities.Noothermorerecent

attemptsatcommercializationhavebeenmadeinEurope.

AnumberofgasificationplantsareoperatinginJapan.Althoughthefacilitiesareoperating,

performancehasbeenpoorwithmostoftheelectricityproducedrequiredtobeusedinternally.

Economically,unitshavenotfaredwell.Formixedwaste,ifsignificantpreprocessingisrequired,the

capitalandoperatingcostforthefrontendequipmentdrivesupthefacilitycost. Generallyefficiency

andavailability

have

been

lower

than

for

some

other

technologies.

If

the

facility

is

designed

to

handle

onlylimitedwastestreamproducts,thesizeofthefacilityislimited,whichmakeseconomicsharderto

achieve.

Facilitieswillhavesomeofthesameairemissionsconsiderationsasmassburnfacilities. Unitsthatheat

thefeedstockinanoxygendeficientenvironmentwouldproducelessNOx.Mercurywouldbeexpected

tobelargelydrivenoffwiththegasandwouldhavetobedealtwithfromtheexhaustofthegas

combustiondevice.Othermetalswouldlikelyremainwiththechar.


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February 1, 2012

21

Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacilityanddischargedzerodischargedesigncouldbedeveloped.

Odourscouldbeanissuefromtheprocessingfacilityandresiduewillneedtobeaddressed.Theresidue

fromtheprocessingcouldbelandfilledandcouldbeusedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases.Ash

remainingaftercombustingthecharfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobelandfilled.

Conclusion

Forthe

entire

waste

stream

identified

in

Task

1this

would

be

considered

aproven

technologybasedonthefacilitiesoperatinginJapan. Thetechnologypresentseconomicriskdotoits

relativelylimitedpowerproduction.Dependingonthesystememployed,anRDFmayneedtobe

producedfromtheMSW.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodeliveryofthe

materialtotherefusepit. Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnologywillbe

includedontheshortlist.TheeconomicevaluationofTask7willidentifyfacilityeconomics.

3.8Plasma Arc GasificationPlasmaarcprocessingusesgraphiteelectrodestocauseanelectricalarcthroughthefeedstock.The

temperaturewithinthearcisoftenstatedtobehotterthanthesurfaceofthesun.Insuchan

environment,thefeedstockgasifies.AlowBtugasisgeneratedthatcould,withsomecleanup,be

suitablefor

use

in

agas

turbine,

engine,

or

boiler

as

afuel

source.

The

remaining

ash

and

metal

will

liquefy,formingaslagandmetalmixture.Theslagcanthenbeseparatedfromthemetalwhenitis

removedfromthearcvessel.

Generallythegasificationprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunitsrequireapreparedfueltoremove

muchofthelarger,inertmaterials(glass,metals,etc.)andtheremainingmaterialtobesizedtothe

requirementsoftheunit.Otherunitsmightallowwastetobechargedwithoutmuchpreprocessing.The

technologycanprocessnearlyallthepostrecycledwastestream.

NooperatingfacilitiesexistinNorthAmerica. AprojectinOttawahasbeeninextendedstartupfor

severalyears.

FacilitiesoperateinJapan,mostnotablythreedevelopedbyHitachiMetals,inYoshii,Utashinai,and

MihamaMikata.

These

facilities

are

referred

to

as

plasma

direct

melting

reactors.

This

is

significant

owingtothedesireinJapantovitrifyashfrommassburnwastetoenergyfacilities. Manygasification

facilitiesinJapanacceptashfromconventionalWTEfacilitiesforvitrification. Thefacilitiesareinmany

casesintendedasashvitrificationfacilitiesratherthanenergyrecoveryfacilities. Thebenefitofthe

vitrifiedashistobindpotentiallyhazardouselementstherebyrenderingtheashinert.

AccordingtoanOctober2002presentationbytheWestinghousePlasmaCorporationtotheElectric

PowerGeneratingAssociation,theYoshiifacilityaccepts24tonsperdayofunprocessedMSWtogether

with4%cokeandproduces100kWhofelectricitypertonofMSW. Thefacilityalsoproducessteamfor

ahotel/resortuse. Thisfacilitystartedoperationin2000.

Accordingtothesamepresentation,theUtashinaifacilityprocesses170tpdofMSWandautomobile

shredderresidue

(ASR)

together

with

4%

coke

and

produces

260

kWh/ton.

This

is

less

than

half

the

energyproductionthatwouldbeexpectedofamassburnWTEfacility.

Facilitieswillgenerallyhavesimilarairemissionsconsiderationsasothergasificationormassburn

facilities.Mercuryandsomeothermorevolatilemetalsareexpectedbedrivenoffwiththegasand

wouldhavetobedealtwithfromtheexhaustofthegascombustiondevice.Othermetalswillmelt,and

theashwillbecomealiquidslagmaterial.Themetalsmightberecoverableandtheslagsolidifiedintoa


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February 1, 2012

22

glasslikematerial.Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacilityandazerodischargedesigncouldbe

developed.

ThetechnologyshouldbecapableofhandlingtheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1withrequired

processingdependingonthefuelfeedsystemrequirements. Railroadtieswouldrequireshredding.

Conclusion FortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven

technologybasedonthefacilitiesoperatinginJapan. Thetechnologypresentseconomicriskdotoits

relativelylimitedpowerproduction.Dependingonthesystememployed,anRDFmayneedtobe

producedfromtheMSW.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodeliveryofthe

materialtotherefusepit. Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnologywillbe

includedontheshortlist.ThefacilityeconomicswillbeevaluatedinTask7.

3.9Summary of Phase I Technologies ScreeningBasedonthereviewcompletedabove,theresultsofthetechnologyevaluation/screeningare

summarizedinthetablebelow.

Table 2: Summary of Technology Screening

TechnologyStateof

Development

Environmental

ConsiderationsRisk

Applicabilityto

thewaste

streamand

quantities

Shortlist

Anaerobic

digestion

Provenforselect

WasteStream

Odourisprimary

concern. Canbe

addressed

Limited Maybeviable

forSRManda

portionofthe

MSWidentified

Yes

RDFprocessing

andcombustion

Commercially

proven

Emissions

primaryconcern.

APCequipment

canmeet

standards.

Limitedif

combustion

islocated

with

processing

Entirewaste

stream

identifiedin

Task1ifRRties

areshredded

Yes

Massburn

combustion

Commercially

proven

Emissionsare

primaryconcern.

APCequipment

canmeet

standards.

Limited Entirewaste

stream

identifiedin

Task1ifRRties

areshredded

Yes

Catalytic

Depolymerization

Laboratoryscale

using

select

materials

Notwelldefined High Notapplicable

to

identified

wastestreams

No

Hydrolysis Noknown

commercialfacilities

areinoperation

usingmixedwaste

Notwelldefined High Notapplicable

toidentified

wastestreams

No


26/35




February 1, 2012

23

TechnologyStateof

Development

Environmental

ConsiderationsRisk

Applicabilityto

thewaste

streamand

quantities

Shortlist

Pyrolysis Limitedcommercial

development

Emissionsare

primaryconcern.

APCequipment

canmeet

standards.

High Couldbe

appliedtothe

wastestream

identifiedin

Task1.

No

Gasification Limitedcommercial

operationinJapan

Emissionsare

primaryconcern.

APCequipment

canmeet

standards.

Some

economic

risk

Entirewaste

stream

identifiedin

Task1ifRRties

areshredded

Yes

PlasmaArc

GasificationLimited

commercial

operationinJapanEmissions

are

primaryconcern.

APCequipment

canmeet

standards.

Some

economic

risk

Entirewaste

stream

identifiedin

Task1ifRRties

areshredded

Yes

4.0 Short-List of Technologies

Thefollowingtechnologiesshouldbeconsideredforfurtheranalysis

Anaerobicdigestion

(limited

feedstock)

RDFprocessingandcombustion

MassBurnCombustion

Gasification

PlasmaArcGasification

Priortorequestinganyproposalsorexpressionsofinterestfrompotentialvendors,theanalysisand

evaluationshouldcontinue. Furtherstudyisneededtodeterminetheinfrastructurechangesthat

wouldberequiredtocollectthenecessarytonnageanddeliverthematerialstoafacilityandfurther

evaluationofenvironmentalrequirementsoftheshortlistedtechnologiesshouldbeundertaken.

Additionaleconomicevaluationcouldbeusedtoidentifythetechnologiesmostlikelytobeviablegiven

currentwastedisposalmarketconditionsinSouthernAlberta.

Astheresearchprojectcontinues,thisshortlistoftechnologieswillbefurtherrefinedbasedonthe

outcomeofsubsequenttasks.Thisshortlisthasbeendevelopedbasedoncurrentlyavailable

informationforeachclassoftechnology. Shouldinthefuture,newinformationbecomeavailablewith

respectaparticulartechnologythatwouldchangetheresultofthisevaluation(e.g.additional

commercialoperationofatechnologythatclearlydemonstratesabilityoftechnologytomanageMSW),

thesubjectclassoftechnologycouldbereevaluatedandpotentiallyincludedbackintotheproject.


27/35




February 1, 2012

24

5.0 Next Steps

Thenext

step

in

the

research

project

is

the

completion

of

Phase

2activities.

Phase

2activities

will

result

intheidentificationofwastecollection,transportationandhandlingimplicationswithassociatedsiting

opportunities;heatrecoveryandcogenerationoptions,includingpotentialmarket/sitingopportunities;

anadditionallevelofdetailwithrespecttotheenvironmentalimplications(nowincluding

transportationimpactsfromTask3),andthefacilitypermittingandsitingrequirements. Thisphasealso

includesthedevelopmentofafutureprojectdevelopmentschedule. Eachofthetaskscompletedinthis

phasewillthenbeutilizedinPhase3toassesstheeconomicandfinancialimplications.


28/35

Appendix A Process Flow Diagrams


29/35




February 1, 2012

A-1

CCIBioEnergy,Inc.Ecocorp

Greenfinch

MustangRenewablePowerVentures

OrganicWasteSystems

Urbaser(ValorgaInternational)

Description:

Anaerobicdigestion

(or

AD)

is

the

process

of

decomposing

the

solid

organic

fraction

of

the

MSW

stream

in

an

oxygen

deficient

environment. Ithasbeenextensivelyusedtodigestandstabilizesewage sludge andanimalmanures,andhashadrecentapplication

treatingSanitarySewerOverflow(orSSO).TheADprocessmayeitherbeawetordryprocessdependingonthetotalsolidscontentbeing

treatedinthereactionvessel. BothtypesofADprocessesinvolvetheinjectionoftheorganicmaterialintoanenclosedvesselwhere

microbesareusedtodecomposethewastetoproducealiquid,asoliddigestate material,andabiogasthatconsistsmainlyofmethane,

water,andcarbondioxide(CO2). Theresultinglow tomidenergycontentbiogascanbeutilizedinareciprocatingengineorgasturbine

toproduceelectricity,orcanbecompressedintoavehiclefuel. Theremainingdigestate material,whichcanbeupto50%oftheinput

dependingonthetypeofADprocessused,canbetreatedfurther(e.g.curedaerobically) toproduceacompostthatcanbemarketedasa

soilamendment. TheincomingmixedMSWorSSOwillrequire apretreatmentprocessthatinvolvesshredding,pulpingandseparationof

thenondigestiblefractionofthewastestream. Inmanycases,thistechnologycanbeusedinconjunctionwithcomposting,mechanical

biological treatment(MBT),orarefusederivedfuel(RDF)process.

FigureA.1

ProcessMaterial

AnaerobicDigestion

AnaerobicDigestion

Legend

Input

Equipment

Conversions

RevenueGeneration

Residual

ExamplesofVendors

BioGas

Processing

Technology

(seeA.6)

Receiving

MSW

MSW

Feedstock

PreProcessing

Separator

Digester

Solid

Liquid

4050% ofFeedstock

13%ofMSWIn 1015% ofMSWIn

Aerobic

Composting

1525% ofFeedstock

Compost


30/35




February 1, 2012

A-2

EnergyAnswers(EA)

DongaraWestrocEnergy

AmbientEcoGroup

CobbCreations Conversions

Legend

RefuseDerivedFuel(RDF)Combustion

ExamplesofVendors

Residual

RevenueGenerationProcess

Material

Equipment

Input

RefuseDerived

Fuel

(RDF)

FigureA.2

Description:

This technology prepares MSW by shredding, screening, and removing noncombustible materials prior to additional processing.

The goal of this technology is to derive a better, more homogenous, Refuse Derived Fuel (or RDF) that can be used in a more

conventional solidfuel boiler as compared to a massburn combustion waterwall boiler. The RDF process typically results in a

fuel yie ld in the 80% to 90% range (i.e., 80 to 90 percent of the incoming MSW is converted to RDF). The remaining 10% to 20% of

the incoming waste that is not converted to RDF is composed of either recovered fe rrous metals (15%) which can be sold to

market, or process residue (15% to 19%) that must be disposed of in a landfill. In most cases, the fuel is used at the same facility

where it is processed, although this does not have to be the case. The RDF is blown or fed into a boiler for semi suspension

firing. Combustion is completed on a traveling grate. Thermal recovery occurs in an integral boiler. The APC equipment

arrangementforanRDFfacilitywouldbesimilartothatofamassburncombustionsystem.

Receiving

Turbine

Electricity

MSW

MSW

Steam

Recycle

RDF

PreProcessing

Thermal

Conversion

Steam

1520% ofMSWIn

1015%ofMSWIn13%ofMSWIn

7580%ofRDFtoFlueGasas

ProductsofCombustion

510%ofMSWIn

Stack

Exhaust

TreatedFlueGas

AirPollution

Control

Boiler


31/35




February 1, 2012

A-3

FisiaBabcock

Keppel

SeghersLaurentBouillet

Martin(Covanta)

Steinmueller

Takuma

Volund(withBabcock&Wilcox)

VonRoll(Wheelabrator)

Consutech

EnerconSystems,Inc.

LaurentBouillet

PioneerPlus

TraditionalMassBurnCombustion

Residual

RevenueGenerationProcess

Material

Equipment

Input

Legend

LargeUnitTechnologies

Description:

Mass Burn combustion technology can be divided into two main types: (a) grate based, waterwall boile r installations; and (b)

modular, shop erected combustion units with shop fabricated waste heat recovery boilers. The modular units are typically

limited to less than 200 tonnes per day and are historically used in facilities where the total throughput is under 500 tpd. In Mass

Burn combustors, MSW is fed directly into a boiler system with no preprocessing other than the removal of large bulky itemssuch as furniture and white goods. In the larger Mass Burn Combustion units, the MSW is typically pushed onto a grate by a ram

connected to hydraulic cylinders. Air is admitted under the grates, into the bed of material, and additional air is supplied above

the grates. The resulting flue gases pass through the boiler and the sensible heat energy is recovered in the boiler tubes to

generate steam. In the smaller modular mass burn systems, MSW is fed into a refractory lined combustor where the waste is

combusted on refractory lined hearths, or within a refractory lined oscillating combustor. The flue gases exit the combustors

and enter a heat recovery steam generator, or waste heat boiler, where steam is generated by the sensibl e heat in the flue gas.

In Mass Burn Combustion, four main streams are generated; steam, flue gas, bottom ash and fly ash. The steam is either sent to a

steam turbine to generate electricity or it can be piped directly to an e nd user as process or district heating steam, or a

combination of these uses. Mass burn technologies utilize an extensive set of air pollution control (APC) devices for flue gas

cleanup. The typical APC equipment used include: either selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or non catalytic reduction (SNCR)

for NOx emissions reduction; spray dryer absorbers (SDA) or scrubbers for acid gas reduction; activated carbon injection (CI) for

mercuryanddioxinsreduction;andafabricfilterbaghouse (FF)forparticulateandheavymetalsremoval.

MassBurnCombustion

ExamplesofVendors

Conversions

FigureA.3

Small/ModularUnitTechnologies

510%ofMSWIn

Receiving

Turbine

Stack

Electricity

Ex

haust

MSW

MSW

Steam

Recycle

Residue

Handling

Meta

ls

Bottom

Ash

Thermal

Conversion

Steam

7080%ofMSWtoFlue Gasas

Products ofCombustion

2025%ofMSWIn

13%ofMSWIn

9799%ofMSWIn

Treate

dFlue

Gas

AirPollution

Control

Boiler


32/35




February 1, 2012

A-4

AlphaKat/KDV Covanta

ChangingWorld

Technologies

ConFuelK2

Enerkem

GreenPowerInc

Description:

Inacatalyticdepolymerization process,theplastics,syntheticfibrecomponentsandwaterintheMSWfeedstockreactwithacatalyst

undernonatmosphericpressureandtemperaturestoproduce acrudeoil.Thiscrudeoilcanthenbedistilledtoproduceasynthetic

gasolineorfuelgradediesel.Therearefourmajorstepsinacatalyticdepolymerization process:Preprocessing,ProcessFluidUpgrading,

CatalyticReaction,andSeparationandDistillation.ThePreprocessingstepisverysimilartotheRDFprocesswheretheMSWfeedstockis

separatedintoprocessresidue,metalsandRDF. Thisprocesstypicallyrequiresadditionalprocessingtoproduceamuchsmallerparticle

sizewithlesscontamination.ThenextstepintheprocessispreparingthisRDF.TheRDFismixedwithwaterandacarrieroil(hydraulicoil)

tocreateRDFsludge.ThisRDFsludgeissentthroughacatalyticturbinewherethereactionunderhightemperatureandpressureproduces

alightoil.Thelightoilisthendistilledtoseparatethesyntheticgasolineordieseloil.Thiscatalyticdepolymerization processissomewhat

similartothatusedatanoilrefinerytoconvertcrudeoilintousableproducts. Thistechnologyismosteffectivewithprocessingawaste

streamwithahighplasticscontentandmaynotbesuitable foramixedMSWstream. Theneedforahighplasticscontentfeedstockmay

alsolimitthesizeofthefacility.

FigureA.4

CatalyticDepolymerization

RevenueGeneration

Residual

Conversions

ProcessMaterial

CatalyticDepolymerization

ExamplesofVendors Legend

Input

Equipment

Receiving

Reaction

Turbine

MSW

MSW

Fluid

Processing

Fluid

Fluid

Catalyst

Hydraulic Fluid

Desulphurization

Distillation

DieselFuel

Feedstock

NonProcessablePreProcessing

2040%ofMSW In

13%ofMSW In

2030%Feedstock


33/35




February 1, 2012

A-5

ArkenolFuels

BioFine/KAME

MasadaOxyNol

Description:

Thehydrolysis

process

involves

the

reaction

of

the

water

and

cellulose

fractions

in

the

MSW

feedstock

(e.g.,

paper,

food

waste,

yard

waste,etc.)withastrongacid(e.g.,sulfuricacid)toproducesugars.Inthenextprocessstep,thesesugarsarefermentedtoproducean

organicalcohol.Thisalcoholisthendistilledtoproduceafuelgradeethanolsolution.Hydrolysis isamultistepprocessthatincludesfour

majorsteps:Pretreatment;Hydrolysis;Fermentation;andDistillation.SeparationoftheMSWstreamisnecessarytoremove the

inorganic/inert materials(glass,plastic,metal,etc.)fromtheorganicmaterials(foodwaste,yardwaste,paper,etc.).Theorganicmaterial

isshreddedtoreducethesizeandtomakethefeedstockmore homogenous.Theshreddedorganicmaterialisplacedintoareactorwhere

itisintroducedtotheacidcatalyst. Thecelluloseintheorganicmaterialisconvertedintosimplesugars.These sugarscanthenbe

fermentedandconvertedintoanalcoholwhichisdistilledintofuelgradeethanol.Thebyproductsfromthisprocessarecarbondioxide

(fromthefermentationstep),gypsum(fromthehydrolysis step)andlignin(noncellulosematerialfromthehydrolysisstep). Sincethe

acidactsonlyasacatalyst,itcanbeextractedandrecycledbackintotheprocess.

FigureA.5

Hydrolysis

RevenueGeneration

Residual

Conversions

Hydrolysis


Input

Equipment

ProcessMaterial

Gypsum

Receiving

MSW

MSW

Feedstock

PreProcessing

Drying

Energy

Recovery

Distillation

Fermentation

Hydrolysis

Stillage

Ethanol

Acid

13%ofMSWIn 1015%ofMSWIn

Non Processable 1530%ofMSWIn


34/35




February 1, 2012

A-6

CompactPower

InternationalEnvironmentalSolutions

Mitsui

PKA

SMUDATechnologies

ThideEnvironmental

UtahValleyEnergy

WasteGenUK

Description:

PyrolysisisgenerallydefinedastheprocessofheatingMSWinanoxygendeficientenvironmenttoproduceacombustible gaseousorliquidproduct

andacarbonrichsolidresidue.Thisissimilartowhatisdonetoproducecokefromcoalorcharcoalfromwood.Thefeedstockcanbetheentire

municipalwastestream,but,insomecases,presortingorprocessingisusedtoobtainarefusederivedfuel.Somemodularcombustorsuseatwo

stagecombustionprocessinwhichthefirstchamberoperatesinalowoxygenenvironmentandthecombustioniscompletedinthesecondchamber.

Similartogasification,oncecontaminantshavebeenremovedthegasorliquidderivedfromtheprocesscanbeusedinaninternalcombustion

engineorgasturbineorasafeedstockforchemicalproduction.Generally,pyrolysisoccursatalowertemperaturethangasification,althoughthe

basicprocessesaresimilar.

ExamplesofVendors

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis

FigureA.6

Legend

Input

Equipment

ProcessMaterial

RevenueGeneration

Residual

Conversions

Non Processable

Receiving

SynGas

GasCleaning

MSW

MSW

PreProcessing

Residue

Handling

Metals

Ch

ar

SynGas

Processing

Technology

(seeFigureA.5)

ChemicalByproducts

Pyrolysis

Oil

SynthesisEngine

Electricity

Exhaust

Chemicals

8090%ofFeedstockConverted

toSynGasandOil13%ofMSWIn

01%ofFeedstock

1020%ofFeedstock

1020%ofMSWIn

Residue


35/35


AdaptiveArc*

Alter

NRG

*CompactPower

Ebara

Enerkem

Geoplasma*

IntegratedEnvironmentalTechnologies*

New PlanetEnergy

PKA

PlascoEnergyGroup*

Primenery

PyroGenesisCanada,Inc.*

SilvaGas

Startech*

TaylorBiomassEnergy

Technip

Thermoselect

FixedBed

FluidizedBed

MovingBed

PlasmaArc(indicatedbya*)

Gasification

FigureA.7

Description:

Gasificationconvertscarbonaceousmaterialintoasynthesisgasorsyngascomposedprimarilyofcarbonmonoxideandhydrogen.

Followingacleaningprocesstoremovecontaminantsthissyngascanbe usedasafueltogenerateelectricitydirectlyinacombustion

turbineor

engine,

or

the

gas

can

be

fired

in

aboiler

to

generate

steam

that

can

be

used

to

generate

electricity,

for

process

uses

or

districtheating,oracombinationofboth. Thesyngasgeneratedcanalsobeusedasachemicalbuildingblockinthe synthesisof

gasolineordieselfuel. ThefeedstockformostgasificationtechnologiesmustbepreparedintoRDFdevelopedfromthe incoming

MSW,orthe technologymayonlyprocessaspecificsubsetofwastematerialssuchaswoodwaste,tires,carpet,scrapplastic,or

otherwastestreams. SimilartoFluidizedBedCombustion,these processestypicallyrequiremorefrontend separationandsize

reduction,andresultinlowerfuelyields(lessfuelpertonneofMSWinput). Thefeedstockreactsinthe gasifierwithsteamand

sometimesairoroxygenathightemperaturesandpressuresinareducing(oxygenstarved)environment. Thelow tomid

Megajoulesyngascanbecombustedinaboiler,orfollowingacleanupprocessagasturbine,orengineorusedinchemicalrefining.

Ofthesealternatives,boilercombustionisthe mostcommon,butthe cycleefficiencycanbeimprovedifthegascanbeprocessedin

anengineorgasturbine,particularlyifthe wasteheatisthenusedtogeneratesteamandadditionalelectricityinacombinedcycle

f ilit I d t t ll t th t th fl ill b l i id b ti i d t l b t

TypesofGasification

Conversions

RevenueGeneration

Residual

Process

Material

Gasification


Input

Equipment

Receiving

Syn

Gas

GasCleaning

MSW

MSW

Feedstock

PreProcessing

Residue

Handling

Metals

Ash

SynGasProcessing

Technology

(seeFigureA.5)

C

hemicalByproducts

13% ofMSWIn

1015%ofMSWIn

1020%ofFeedstock

7080%ofFeedstock

convertedtoSyn Gas

1025%ofMSWIn

01% ofFeedstock

Gasification

waste treatment and utilization technologies

Documents