Thermal processes for resource recovery from waste …an integrated waste management system should be designed on the integration of different types of treatment processes: recycling

www.aquaenviro.co.uk

Thermal processes for resource recovery from waste

David Tompkins, Bioresources Technical Manager


• Why choose thermal?• UK waste production

• Quantities available for thermal treatment• Other materials for thermal conversion

• The question of recovery vs recycling• Potential barriers to market

Overview


Why choose thermal?


…an integrated waste management system should be designed on the integration of different types of treatment processes: recycling processes for material recovery and… biological treatments for appropriate streams, as well as thermal treatments for energy recovery…

Lombardi L, Carnevale E & Corti A (2015). A review of technologies and performances of thermal treatment systems for energy recovery from waste. Waste Management 37: 26-44


Because of the planetary physics of the Earth, agrofuels produced each year will always be inadequate to make up for the decline of liquid transportation fuels from petroleum accumulated over 460 million years or more

http://www.oecd.org/sd-roundtable/papersandpublications/40225820.pdf



http://www.r-e-a.net/pdf/member/10_REA_GP_Leaflet_FINAL.pdf


UK waste production


Energy recovery

Incineration

Recovery other than

energy recovery -

Except backfilling

Recovery other than

energy recovery -Backfilling

Deposit onto or into

land (landfill)

Land treatment

and release into water

bodies

Total

1,585 6,102 77,467 14,114 48,512 38,383 186,163

0.9% 3.3% 41.6% 7.6% 26.1% 20.6% 100.0%

2012 Waste treatment in the UK (`000 tonnes*)

*Sludges and dredging spoils have been reported or converted to dry weight

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env23-uk-waste-data-and-management#history


Final treatment methodTotal waste sent

to final treatment

Total waste that was recovered

Deposit onto or into land (landfill)

Chemical wastes 300,854 272,824 28,030

Industrial effluent sludges 27,084 14,143 12,941

Sludges & liquid wastes from waste treatment 91,654 441 91,213

Health care & biological wastes 211,839 107,012 104,828

Paper & cardboard wastes 6,434,466 6,430,362 4,104

Rubber wastes 150,699 148,861 1,838

Plastic wastes 2,594,006 2,478,158 115,848

Wood wastes 1,531,790 1,511,967 19,823

2012 Waste treatment in the UK (tonnes*) (1 of 2)




Final treatment methodTotal waste sent

to final treatment

Total waste that was recovered

Deposit onto or into land (landfill)

Textile wastes 1,316,082 1,312,422 3,660

Animal & mixed food waste 1,346,942 1,257,432 89,511

Vegetal wastes 4,120,077 4,020,263 99,813

Animal faeces, urine & manure 308,429 305,760 2,669

Household & similar wastes 14,390,159 6,340,539 8,049,620

Mixed & undifferentiated materials 1,598,767 1,280,080 317,987

Sorting residues 9,089,563 819,219 8,270,344

Common sludges 949,301 947,511 1,790

2012 Waste treatment in the UK (tonnes*) (2 of 2)




http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/estimates-waste-food-and-drink-supply-chain

Food waste Total ‘Preventable’

Household1 7.0 5.4

Hospitality and Food Services 0.90 0.70

Retail 0.25 0.25

Manufacturing 3.9 3.9

Farm ~3.0 unknown

Food waste in the UK (million tonnes*)

*Fresh weight

1Includes both avoidable and possibly avoidable food waste (items which some people may eat, some of the time, including potato peelings, bread crusts)


* Millions of tonnes (Data from the REA Gasification and Pyrolysis Group’s consultation response on the 2012 review of RO banding)

Year Arup (2010) Tolvik (2010) Eunomia (2011) SITA (2009/10)

2010 3.90 27.9 26.0 -

2020 7.80 23.0 24.0 25.0

2030 12.5 20.8 24.0 36.0

Post-recycling residual waste*


Livestock manures and slurries

Stock numbers Quantity (tonnes*)

Dairy cattle - 20,000,000

Beef cattle - 5,000,000

Broilers 110,374,000 2,097,000

Egg-laying hens 48,404,000 1,985,000

Turkeys (etc) 10,907,000 578,000

Pigs 4,510,000 3,608,000

Total 33,268,000

*Fresh weight


Sewage sludge

Sludge Re-used (tonnes*) Sludge Disposed (tonnes*)

Soil and Agriculture

Others Landfill Incineration Others

2008 1,241,639 90,845 10,882 185,890 1,523

2010 1,118,159 23,385 8,787 259,642 2,863

*Dry solids

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69592/pb13811-waste-water-2012.pdf


Recycling vs Recovery


Recycling or recovery?




From the Waste Framework Directive:

‘recycling’ means any recovery operation by

which waste materials are reprocessed into

products, materials or substances whether

for the original or other purposes. It includes

the reprocessing of organic material but

does not include energy recovery and the

reprocessing into materials that are to be

used as fuels or for backfilling operations.



Recycling or recovery? Recycling targets

England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland

Currently as per WFD requirements (50% of household waste

by 2020)

Recycling, preparation for reuse

or composting of Local Authority

collected municipal waste:

58% by 2015/1664% by 2019/2070% by 2024/25

Recycling, preparation for reuse

or composting of Local Authority

collected household waste:

50% by 201360% by 202070% by 2025

Currently as per WFD requirements (50% of household waste

by 2020)


Recycling or recovery? Landfill diversion targets

• By 2010 reduce the biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 75% of that produced in 1995




http://www.sepa.org.uk/media/162646/sepa-guidance-for-local-authorities-zwp.pdf


Potential barriers to market


Barriers to market

• Perception• Opacity• Legislation


In summary

• Thermal processes should form part of integrated waste management approaches

• Recycling requirements may limit the availability of specific waste streams – and this may change in the future

• The variety of processing and feedstock interactions can make it difficult to present the benefits

• Independent evidence is needed to demonstrate safety of non-fuel products from thermal processes


Thank you

[email protected]

07703 331947

mailto:[email protected]

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Thermal processes for resource recovery from waste …an integrated waste management system should be designed on the integration of different types of treatment processes: recycling