Case Studies

According to the Knowledge Product (KP) studies commissioned by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), incineration is the direct combustion of urban solid waste material coupled with subsequent energy recovery. The heat resulting from the combustion process can be used to generate heat and electricity through a steam circuit system. This is referred to as a combined heat and power process (CHP). Use was made of the manual provided by GreenCape and approved by the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, ‘Towards integrated municipal waste management: technical guide for technology identification and screening for integrated waste management planning’.

Configuration

Technology restrictions

• Not suitable for bulky or large items.
• Will destroy all non-metal recyclable materials.
• Requires a specialist grate to handle higher temperatures generated by (RDF).
• Energy recovery efficiencies are lower for electricity than for heat. 

Main licence requirements for incineration CLICK HERE [Insert link to legislation table] Advantages

• Incineration when managed correctly is a robust technology that can be used to treat a variety of waste streams.
• May also use rotary kiln technology as opposed to moving grate incineration.
• Revenue from both gate fees and energy generation can make the technology competitive.

Disadvantages

• Incineration is capital intensive
• Requirement for large quantities of municipal waste to feed incinerator can alter plans for recycling and reuse of waste.
• Flue gases can pollute the environment when fugitive emissions are not managed
• End of pipe solution.

Case Study

Waste Incinerators: A summary of six Case Studies, International

Read more: (http://task36.ieabioenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/A_Summary_of_Six_Case_Studies-2000.pdf) There are no incinerators operating in South Africa or other developing countries that meet the strict conditions applicable in developed countries. As part of the activities of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Agreement, members of Task 23: Energy Recovery from Thermal Conversion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) visited and prepared techno economic case studies for several fluidised bed incinerator plants worldwide. Among the plants evaluated were: the Robbins Resource Recovery Facility (Robbins, Illinois, USA), the Toshima Incineration Plant (Tokyo, Japan), the TIRMadrid Plant (Madrid, Spain), the Valene Plant (Mantes la Jolie, France), the DERL Energy-from-Waste Facility (Dundee, Scotland), and the Lidköping Waste-to-Energy Plant (Lidköping, Sweden). The case studies are summarised in the link provided above. Fluidised bed technologies from several vendors were employed at these plants, including Kvaerner bubbling fluidised beds (BFBs) at the DERL and Lidköping plants; Foster Wheeler circling fluidised beds (CFBs) at the Robbins plant; Ishikawajima-Harima (IHI) BFBs at the Toshima plant; Techniques Modernes de Chauffe (TMC) pyramidal fluidised beds (L4F) at the Valene plant; and Rowitec twin-interchanging fluidised beds (TIF) at the TIRMadrid plant. Rated electrical generation capacity from these plants ranged from 7.8 to 50 MWe, with waste feed capacities of up to 1,450 tonnes per day. Case studies prepared for the IEA Bioenergy Agreement generally examined operation of, and problems with, the feed preparation and combustion technology, environmental control system, and residue recovery and disposition. Additionally, fuel characteristics, mass and energy balances, and environmental performance were evaluated. Finally, capital, operating and maintenance costs, and the sociological background for each project were examined. This summary of information from the six case studies compares and contrasts, where available, the project drivers and the effectiveness and cost of the selected incineration / environmental control technologies. Source: D.L. Granatstein, ‘Technoeconomic Assessment of Fluidized Bed Combustors as Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators: A Summary of Six Case Studies. IEA.’(CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC), Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Canada, no date).