We’ll be going over the nuances of waste to energy incineration, including how it works and what the process can do to lower landfills.
Trash burning is generally thought to be problematic by many people. It results in toxins being released into the atmosphere, which can be detrimental to the environment. Typically, people wish for trash to go into bins rather than fires. However, there is an alternative. There is a process that can be done to turn waste into a power source, and this process is called waste to energy incineration. What is this process exactly? We’ll be going over the nuances of waste to energy incineration, including how it works and what the process can do to lower landfills.
How Waste to Energy Plants Turn Waste Into Energy
Common trash, known as municipal solid waste, that would otherwise get sent to landfills will instead get transported to a waste to energy plant. All of the trash gets burnt evenly and completely before being sent for incineration. During incineration, all of the waste gets converted into ash and hot gas. This will drastically lower its overall volume, lowering it to roughly 10% of what it was originally. Its weight will also be cut significantly, down to approximately 70% of what it was prior.
The only bi-product left from waste to energy incineration is the ash. Magnets extract the metals capable of being recycled. The rest of the ash either gets used as aggregate in construction areas or it goes into landfills.
Are the Gases That Are Created Hazardous?
Burning waste can create gases that are detrimental to the environment, similarly to burning fossil fuels and how nuclear power plants form hazardous waste. Fortunately, there is a means of making these gases harmless.
After the gas heats the water enough to convert it to steam, it goes through various processes that get rid of the dangerous substances, making it much less harmful to the environment.
First, various channels will get rid of the initial “fly ash” (larger ash that gets transported by the gas) and put that ash into an ash pile.
Second, the gas is given a dose of activated carbon. This carbon will extract the heavy metals. Then, the gas will be treated by having either urea or ammonia injected into it. This is done so that the nitrous oxide inside of the gas will be neutralized. The gas also gets exposed to intense heat for an extended period of time. This heat will be at least 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The intense heat helps remove furan emissions and dioxin inside of the gas.
Lastly, lime is used to treat the gas so that all of the acidity is removed, and it gets filtered through a multitude of particulate and fabric filters so that the remaining particles get removed. Once these steps are finished, the gas becomes safe to release to the open air.
Choose AEG Environmental as Your Company for Waste to Energy Incineration Services
We have been offering waste-to-energy incineration services to clients for over 20 years. With the expertise our staff has, we will always be prepared to handle whatever waste you put in front of us. If you’re interested in what services we have available, call us today so we can help you with the incineration of your waste materials.
We also offer decontamination services to rid your business of COVID-19. If you want your business clean and safe, we’ll be more than happy to lend you a hand.