Need of Conversion of Municipal Solid Wastes into Fuel/Gas

Municipal waste is increasing day by day and it causes harm to the environment and it should be minimized so as to protect the environment for the upcoming hazard to the environmental pollution and diseases. It helps reduce the volume of waste in landfills, mitigating the environmental impact of waste disposal. Additionally, it provides a renewable source of energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. This dual benefit makes Waste-to-Energy an attractive option for both environmental sustainability and energy security.

The continuously rising demand for energy globally due to the increasing population and rapid industrialization and urbanization is one of the critical drivers of the global market. For example, per the Asian development bank WtE circular research report, the amount of waste produced from municipal waste is projected to reach 3.4 billion tons by 2050 due to economic development, population growth, and urbanization. Thereby, significant investment in project processes is being initiated to reduce environmental concerns and waste, providing growth opportunities for the waste to energy industry.

Advancements in Waste-to-Energy Technologies

The increasing global population and rapid industrialization have led to a significant rise in waste generation. Waste management has become a critical global issue due to the increasing population and industrialization. Traditional waste disposal methods, such as landfilling and incineration, have proven to be environmentally unsustainable and pose significant challenges. However, the 21st century has witnessed remarkable advancements in waste-to-energy conversion technologies, offering promising solutions to address the growing waste crisis (Un, 2023; Kataya et al., 2023)

The Improper waste management poses serious environmental and health risks. However, waste-to-energy (WtE) conversion processes have emerged as a sustainable solution to address these challenges. Waste-to-energy conversion refers to the process of generating energy, such as electricity or heat, from various types of waste materials (Nubi et al., 2022). This process involves the transformation of waste into usable energy through different technologies, including incineration, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and pyrolysis. Advancements in waste-to-energy technologies are enumerated as follows:

• Incineration
• Anaerobic Digestion
• Gasification
• Pyrolysis
• Plasma Gasification

Various Types of Waste-to-Energy Conversion Technologies

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) conversion technologies:

Incineration - Combustion of waste materials at high temperatures

Anaerobic Digestion - Decomposes organic waste in the absence of oxygen

Gasification - Converts carbonaceous materials into a synthetic Gas

Pyrolysis - Thermal Decomposition process that converts waste material into bio-oil & gas

Plasma Gasification - Utilizes extremely high temperaturege generated by plasma torch to convert waste into syngas

Key Player Working on Waste-to-Energy Conversion Technology

The global waste to energy market size was valued at USD 34.50 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow from USD 35.84 billion in 2024 to USD 50.92 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific dominated the waste to energy market with a market share of 47.24% in 2023.

Waste to Energy (WtE), also known as energy from waste, uses thermochemical and biochemical technologies to recover energy from urban waste, producing electricity, steam, and fuels. These new technologies can reduce the original waste volume by 90%, depending on the composition and use of outputs. WtE plants offer two significant benefits: environmentally safe waste management and disposal and clean electric power generation. The growing use of WtE as a method to dispose of solid and liquid wastes and produce electricity has dramatically reduced the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management, including emissions of greenhouse gases.

Market of Waste-to-Energy

The government in The global waste-to-energy market is segmented into Technology, Waste type, and Region. Based on Technology, the market is bifurcated into Physical Technology, Thermal Technology (Incineration/Combustion, Pyrolysis and Thermal Gasification, Plasma-arc Gasification), and Biological Technology (Methane Capture/Landfill Gas, Biogas Plants/Anaerobic Digestion, Fermentation). In terms of waste type, the market is segmented into Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Industrial Waste, Agricultural Waste, and Others. Region wise, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.

Recent Development in Waste-to-Energy Conversion

Waste to energy can be achieved by utilization of chemical (esterification), bio-chemical or thermo-chemical technologies. The use of these technologies is decided based on numerous factors, which include the composition and type of waste, calorific value, and the final energy form. The energy generated is utilized for applications such as electricity and heat generation, which is predominantly achieved by incineration. Transport fuels such as ethanol, bio-diesel, and bio-jet fuel are produced by processing waste. Increased blending of ethanol to gasoline is expected to bolster market growth for ethanol generation.

Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste (MSW), often called garbage or trash, to produce steam in a boiler, and the steam is used to power an electric generator turbine. MSW is a mixture of energy-rich materials such as paper, plastics, yard waste, and products made from wood. For every 100 pounds of MSW in the United States, about 85 pounds can be burned as fuel to generate electricity. The most common waste-to-energy system in the United States is the mass-burn system. In this system, unprocessed MSW is burned in a large incinerator with a boiler and a generator to produce electricity. A less common type of system processes MSW to remove noncombustible materials to produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF).

Although different disposal ways are available, incineration is a leading harmless approach to effectively recover energy among the applied technologies. The purpose of the present review paper is to detail the discussion of evolution of waste to energy incineration and specifically to highlight the currently used and advanced incineration technologies, including combined incineration with other energy, for instance, hydrogen production, coal and solar energy. In addition, the environmental performance is discussed, including the zero waste emission, leachate and fly ash treatment, climate change contribution and public behaviour. Finally, challenges, opportunities and business model are addressed. Trends and perspectives on policies and techno-economic aspects are also discussed in this review. Different simulation tools, which can be used for the thermodynamic assessment of incineration plants, are debated; life-cycle inventory emissions and most critical environmental impacts of such plants are evaluated by life-cycle analysis. This review shows that waste incineration with energy yield is advantageous to handle waste problems and it affects climate change positively.

Future Prediction of Waste-to-Energy Conversion Technology

WTE, also known as Energy from Waste (EfW), entails generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the combustion of waste. WTE plants burn municipal solid waste (MSW), or trash, to produce steam in a boiler, and the steam is used to power a turbine generator. Mass burn WTE is the industry standard, where all waste is combusted as received without preprocessing.

WTE generates revenue from the sale of electricity to the utility. Local electric utilities are required to purchase all electricity generated by the WTE plant. These plants on average export 550 kwh/ton of processed MSW. The revenue from this electricity varies depending on the purchasing utility and when the facility was contracted.

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies represent a fascinating intersection of waste management and renewable energy production, offering a dual solution to two of the world's most pressing issues. This blog post delves into the realm of WtE technologies, exploring their mechanisms, benefits, and the promising potential they hold for a sustainable future.

WtE technologies involve the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through various processes. This not only helps in reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills but also in generating energy, thus serving a dual purpose. The most common WtE processes include incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and fermentation.

Waste-to-Energy technologies stand at the forefront of sustainable waste management and energy production. As we advance, the integration of innovative WtE solutions into our waste management infrastructure will be crucial for building resilient, energy-efficient, and sustainable societies. By embracing these technologies, we can turn our waste problem into an energy solution, moving closer to a future where every piece of waste is seen not as trash, but as a true energy resource.

Latest News

Ecoplanta Receives Approval: A Major Step Forward with Enerkem's Groundbreaking Waste-to-Methanol Technology.

Montreal, January 29, 2025 – Enerkem, a global technology provider enabling low-carbon fuels and chemicals production from waste, is proud to announce that Repsol's Board of Directors has officially approved the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Ecoplanta project, marking a significant milestone in the drive for the supply of sustainable fuel and product.

Repsol's Ecoplanta project will leverage Enerkem's cutting-edge technology to transform non-recyclable municipal waste into sustainable methanol which can be used as a raw material to produce circular materials as well as advanced biofuels, contributing to the decarbonization of transport and chemicals.

Hitachi Zosen Inova Selected to Develop the World's Most Advanced Waste to Energy Facility in Abu Dhabi

A consortium led by Marubeni Corporation, which includes Hitachi Zosen Inova and the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development, has been selected to design, build and operate a new ultra-large Waste to Energy facility on behalf of the Emirates Water & Electricity Company and Tadweer Group.

Abu Dhabi's first WtE plant will be located near the Al-Dhafra landfill and will have a processing capacity of 900,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year for the next 30 years. This will significantly boost Abu Dhabi's transition away from reliance on landfill, considered by many as the least sustainable form of waste management. This important project will underpin the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.1 million tonnes annually.