Discussion on the controversy over municipal waste incineration

In the past two years, there have been many European controversies regarding waste incineration. On the one hand, the energy crisis has prompted more waste to be incinerated to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to recover some energy. Although the amount of energy recovered is relatively small, it is understood that about 2.5% of Europe's energy comes from incinerators. On the other hand, landfills can no longer meet the current waste production. To reduce the volume of waste, incineration is the most convenient and effective option.

As of December 2022, there are 55 waste-to-energy plants in operation in the UK, and 18 are under construction or commissioning. There are about 500 incinerator facilities in Europe, and the amount of waste incinerated in 2022 is about 5,900 tons, a steady increase over previous years. However, since some waste incinerators are close to residential areas and pastures, most people are concerned about the environmental impact of the smoke they produce.

Fig. An incineration plant in Switzerland (Photo from the Internet)

In April 2024, the Environment Department of England suspended the issuance of environmental licenses for new waste incineration equipment. The temporary ban lasts until May 24. The Defra spokesperson said that during the temporary ban, consideration will be given to improving recycling, reducing waste screening to achieve the net zero emission target, and whether more waste incineration facilities are needed. However, the results of the work and further orders were not issued after the temporary ban expired.

The incinerators can be further subdivided according to the type of garbage to be processed. They can be divided into:

①High-precision cracking furnaces for the anaerobic pyrolysis and recovery of fuel oil for single plastics or rubber tires.

②Traditional aerobic incinerators for most combustible mixed garbage (fuel is required).

③High-temperature pyrolysis gasification incinerators that use the remaining garbage as fuel without the need for additional fuel after removing recyclable, non-combustible, and perishable garbage (fuel is only required when starting the furnace).

The recycling and reuse of urban garbage is the general trend of garbage disposal. The dry garbage remaining after sorting still needs to be landfilled or incinerated for final disposal. The garbage classification in various regions is uneven, and there is only more garbage to be disposed of. Limited land resources have reduced the number of landfills. Taking all factors into consideration, garbage incineration is still the best choice for urban garbage disposal.

Fig. HYHH incinerator flue gas treatment system

The smoke produced after waste incineration contains dioxins, small particles of dust, and NOx is an important factor affecting human health and the natural environment. It is also the main reason why residents oppose the construction of waste incineration plants. A complete and suitable flue gas cleaning system is an excellent solution to minimize this impact. The composition of garbage burned in different regions is different, and the concentration of pollutants in the flue gas produced varies greatly. To reduce the re-synthesis of dioxin, quenching equipment is equipped; electrostatic precipitators and bag dust collectors can reduce the concentration of small particle dust in the flue gas; the scrubber tower is equipped with washing chemicals to remove acidic and alkaline gases in the flue gas, etc.

HYHH can customize a complete set of domestic waste high-temperature pyrolysis and gasification systems for you according to the actual situation of the local project, to achieve waste reduction and meet the emission standards, which is the current green and environmentally friendly way of waste disposal. Welcome to leave a message for consultation!

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