PUTTING ENERGY INTO WASTE TO CREATE ENERGY FROM WASTE
Municipal solid waste (MSW) popularly known as garbage is considered a waste and people often think of it as futile but today we are here to tell you that it is the most profitable thing out there. So why is it so useful? It is because “energy” the power that the whole world is running behind, can be produced by using the municipal solid waste. Yes you heard that right. Let us see how we can do that.
Today waste is a gargantuan problem for the world. However our continuous efforts have led to the development of a way to convert this waste into a useful resource. There are many items around us that can generate heat, and surprisingly waste products are one of them. Heat generated from waste creates electric power which is an asset to the earth because it can eliminate elements that ruin the ozone layer.
Globally the amount of solid waste generated is 1.3 billion tonnes per year. There is so much garbage generated daily and many countries are simply wasting it by burning it. However as mentioned before this waste can be used to generate electric power. One such method of electricity generation from waste is by using biogas. Biogas is a gas that is produced from organic matter such as food waste, animal waste etc. Biogas is formed by breaking down this organic matter biologically.
WASTE TO ENERGY PLANTS
Energy is produced at waste to energy plants. Currently this process is being conducted in various parts of the world. Basically a waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts wastes to produce electricity. This type of power plant is sometimes called a trash-to-energy, municipal waste incineration, energy recovery, or resource recovery plant.
Some waste to energy plants burn industrial waste also. A modern or well managed waste to energy plant will first sort the waste before burning it. This is done in order to remove any hazardous components thus increasing its overall efficiency. The procedure followed in waste to energy plants are:
- Waste is the initial input component to the facility or waste to energy plant.
- Then the waste is sorted so as to remove any recyclable and hazardous material.
- The waste is then sent for burning. Presently direct method of burning is used as it is more efficient.
- The waste is added to the boiler continuously or in batches, depending on the design of the plant.
BENEFITS OF WASTE TO ENERGY PLANTS
Waste to energy plants has the ability to incinerate 85-90 % of total waste.
- These plants are cost efficient and thus cheaper than other traditional power generating options.
- They cause less pollution and are eco-friendly.
- They have more efficiency.
Burning waste also reduces the amount of material that would probably be buried in landfills.
In 2014, about 258 million tons of MSW were generated in the United States, of which 53% was landfilled 35% was recycled and composted 13% was burned for energy.
