Waste-to-Energy

Waste-to-Energy

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Waste-to-Energy

Modern consumers globally continue to use resources in a manner that leaves behind an increasing amount of waste, leading to landfills that are filled beyond capacity being a common occurrence in many parts of the world. Uncontrolled municipal solid waste management presents a tremendous challenge to both the health and well-being of human populations as well as the wider ecosystem. Waste-to-energy facilities refer to huge plants where municipal solid waste is burned, and the heat, which is the byproduct of this combustion process is used to heat buildings or to produce electricity-generating steam. This paper looks at the technology behind this waste management option, identifies the major regions where this technology has been applied, analyzes its advantages and disadvantages as well as highlights the potential for the widespread use of this approach in the future of global waste management.

Findings

According to (Waste-to-energy (MSW) – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), n.d.), of all the municipal solid waste that was collected from American households in 2017, about 52% was disposed at landfills, while only about 25% was recycled, 10% was composted, and just 13% burned to recover as energy. This U.S. waste management system presents the vital importance of increasing the amount of waste-to-energy investments. Energy-from-waste facilities are set up to ensure that all municipal solid waste that is unrecyclable is recoverable through energy, and can then be used to serve the communities around them (Malinauskaite et al., 2017). These plants are fitted with unique boilers that recover some form of value from incineration, as the heat that is given out as a result of this process is harnessed in the form of steam and electricity as well as obtaining other recyclable products like steel. To be sure of the quality of emissions that get back to the environment, modernized pollution control equipment is fitted to these facilities and are used to filter and screen. Methane emanating from decomposing materials in landfills is also used to produce electricity.

Among the top countries in the world to actively adopt the concept of using municipal waste as a source of raw material for generating energy include Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. It is clear from the above list that waste-to-energy efforts are appreciated more in Europe than in any other part of the world. The U.S. is joining the bandwagon, generating approximately 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2018 from the controlled incineration of municipal solid waste (Waste-to-energy (MSW) – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), n.d.). Most European countries have more sophisticated waste-to-energy programs. This factor has enabled them to manage their domestic waste efficiently and are importing waste from other countries as well. Wilts & Von Gries (2015), explain that these countries have managed to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, with Sweden having as low as 4% of total waste produced, while waste-to-energy contributes about 20% of all energy requirements.

The major advantage of waste-to-energy activities lies in recovering value from items that are regarded valueless, producing electricity and heat for human consumption from waste (Fernández-González et al., 2017). Many countries have been able to reduce their energy costs by using supplementary energy generated from waste. The environment benefits primarily from having less methane being released into the atmosphere. Another positive attribute that waste-to-energy brings in the efforts to clean the environment is the reduction in the volume of waste that is lost to landfills. As Johnson (2017) notes, critics of this approach to waste management cite the potential carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution that could happen in the course of this method. Efficient, scientifically, and technologically modernized equipment can be installed in waste-to-energy facilities to purify the elements, but they are also quite expensive to install and maintain. Even in places where this method has worked, this cost-intensive endeavor is usually performed by the private sector, backed by government incentives. Therefore, balancing between the common good for everyone and the environment vis-à-vis shareholder interest creates a conflict of interest.

There have been numerous advantages of waste-to-energy operations, as witnessed in most European countries that have embraced this approach. More landfill space is being saved by this concept, while at the same time, there is improved health and well-being of people who reside in these countries. Reducing energy cost means that there is a definite reduction in business operation costs, thus creating a conducive environment for an economic trajectory (Fernández-González et al., 2017). Benefits such as these are pushing more countries into conducting further research on this approach to waste management. The U.S. and the U.K. are raising awareness on promoting recycling and waste-to-energy, oping that many other countries will follow suit, creating better and safer policies for the people and the environment.

Conclusion

Waste-to-energy facilities make use of unrecyclable municipal solid waste to generate heating for buildings and steam for producing electricity. Currently, most of these facilities are found in Europe, in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany, where the waste management is advanced to a level of importing waste from other regions and turning it to energy for increased profits. In these places, there have been various advantages that have been recorded both in the environment and in the people’s way of life. The risk of waste-to-energy in environmental pollution and causing health hazards can be mitigated by creating safe and appropriate rules and regulations governing this waste management approach. In the coming future, many more countries will turn to safe waste-to-energy programs, as witnessed by the U.S.

References

Fernández-González, J. M., Grindlay, A. L., Serrano-Bernardo, F., Rodríguez-Rojas, M. I., & Zamorano, M. (2017). Economic and environmental review of Waste-to-Energy systems for municipal solid waste management in medium and small municipalities. Waste Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.05.003

Johnson, T. R. (2017). Municipal solid waste management. In Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315736761

Malinauskaite, J., Jouhara, H., Czajczyńska, D., Stanchev, P., Katsou, E., Rostkowski, P., Thorne, R. J., Colón, J., Ponsá, S., Al-Mansour, F., Anguilano, L., Krzyżyńska, R., López, I. C., A.Vlasopoulos, & Spencer, N. (2017). Municipal solid waste management and waste-to-energy in the context of a circular economy and energy recycling in Europe. Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.11.128

Waste-to-energy (MSW) – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biomass/waste-to-energy.php

Wilts, H., & Von Gries, N. (2015). Europe’s waste incineration capacities in a circular economy. Proceedings of Institution of Civil Engineers: Waste and Resource Management. https://doi.org/10.1680/warm.14.00009

Works Cited and Relevance.