Municipal solid waste (MSW) remains a major problem in modern societies, even though the significant efforts to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle. At present, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) in waste-to-energy (WtE) plants is one of the main management options in most of the developed countries. The technology for recovering energy from MSW has evolved over the years and now sophisti...

Technical and economic analysis of thermal plasma–assisted Waste-to-Energy 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Increasing interest is focusing on plasma-assisted gasification applied to the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW), especially as it may be a new way to increase Waste-to-Energy (WTE) worldwide. The aim of this thesis was to investigate different such processes under development and their technic...

China has the largest population (1.33 billion) on Earth and a 2010 GDP of $5.4 trillion. This nation has experienced rapid economic growth in the last decade that has been accompanied by the generation of an enormous amount of municipal solid wastes. From 2000 to 2009, the reported MSW increased by 33% to 157 million tons. This paper presents the current situation in MSW generation, characteri...

This study was done to increase the understanding of how heavy metals in the aqueous phase are removed at low initial concentrations in different pH and Eh values. The reaction that has been studied is mainly hydroxide precipitation and adsorption in a condensate treatment. In the study, data from one of Vattenfalls waste incinerators was analysed and the results from the data were then compare...

The statistical entropy (SE) function has been applied to waste treatment systems to account for dilution or concentration effects on metals. We later extended it to account for carbon flows, especially in waste management systems involving thermal treatment. Now, a simple lifecycle “net energy” metric – encompassing the “lost energy” that would have been gained when high-calorific materials ar...

Renewable energy plays a significant role in the world for obvious environmental and economic reasons with respect to the increasing energy crisis and fossil fuel environmental problems. Biomass energy, one of the most promising renewable energy technologies, has drawn increasing attention in recent years. However, biomass technologies still vary without an integrated framework. Considering the...

The U.S. generates about 370 million short tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) each year. In 2002, an average of 26.9% of this material was either recycled or composted. Of the remainder, an estimated 242 million short tons were disposed of in landfills and about 29 million short tons were combusted in Waste to Energy (WTE) facilities to produce electricity and scrap metal. Effective management...

Non-hazardous industrial solid wastes are frequently proposed for beneficial use rather than being disposed in MSW landfills. An example of such an industrial waste is waste-to-energy (WTE) ash. Proposed beneficial use projects for WTE ash often involve some form of land application. Prior to the land application of any solid waste, the possible risk to human health and the environment should b...

The temperature of the flue-gas in the post combustion zone of a waste to energy (WTE) plant has to be maintained within a fairly narrow range of values, the minimum of which is prescribed by the European Waste Directive 2000/76/CE, whereas the maximum value must be such as to ensure the preservation of the materials and the energy efficiency of the plant. A high degree of accuracy in measuring...

The Gaza Strip faces a chronic solid waste (SW) management and electricity shortage problem as a result of fifty years of political instability in the area coupled with a high population growth rate, an unhealthy economic condition, and limited land and energy resources. The option to develop a waste to energy (WTE) facility to manage SW and to alleviate the electricity shortage has not been pr...