Final Team Report and

Webinar to SPC Members

May 22, 2012

• Introduction– Team Members, Project Objectives & Deliverables

• Summary Presentation– Descriptions of Technologies– Possible Concerns– Recommendations

• Tools/Resources for Members

• Lindsay Beck• Tim Buwalda• Paul Comey, Co-

Chair• George Fickau• Suzanne Fisher• Holly Hansen

• Amanda Holder• Dale Nutter• Mike Pope• Bob Stolmeier• James Taylor• Jeff Wooster, Co-

Chair

Provide education to SPC members and other interested groups and identify opportunities and recommendations for energy recovery of production by-products and non-recycled industrial and consumer packaging.

Scope: excludes mechanical recycling and composting

Technology Summaries: Slides & GridCommon Questions & ConcernsRecommendations for Using Energy RecoveryList of Published Papers & ReferencesDefinitions & AcronymsUseful Websites

• Waste Usable Energy

Source: earth911.com

Source: Thorneloe SA, Weitz K, Jambeck J. Application of the U.S. Decision Support Tool for Materials and Waste Management. WM Journal 2006 August.

Municipal Solid Waste Data - 2010

• The importance of terminology – we changed the name of the working group

• It isn’t “waste” until you stop getting use out of it; used packaging is a resource (for either the raw material itself or its energy content)

• “Energy Recovery” represents a more proactive strategy

• “Energy Recovery” keeps the focus on the beneficial output

Combustion/Mass BurnAnaerobic DigestionGasification / Plasma GasificationPyrolysisFermentationEsterificationSolid recovery fuel

Source: WTERT

• a.k.a. Mass Burn, Incineration• Can be with or without energy recovery • Most common & developed, currently 86

commercial facilities in the US

• Input: Less selective feedstock – any and all MSW

• Output: heat (steam) or electricity

Source: (Waste-to-Energy Research & Technology Council)

• Degrades organic matter in absence of oxygen through microbiological activity

• Moisture content, C:N ratio, pH & temperature are all important

• Input: Organic matter – food, sludge, some bio-based packaging materials

• Output: methane, CO2, soil conditioner

• Heats feedstock in the absence of oxygen ~400-800°C

• Inputs: Organic waste, plastics, paper, carbon-rich materials

• Outputs: gas, liquid, and solids (biochar)

• High temperature & high pressure, with controlled amount of steam & oxygen

• Input: Less selective feedstock – all trash accepted

• Output: CO + H2 (syn gas)

• Oxygen-free environment and external high heat source (plasma) - above 10,000°F

• Used outside US for special waste (hazardous, medical, chemical agents)

• Input: Less selective feedstock – all trash accepted

• Output: syn gas, solid by-product usable in making concrete for road construction

• Relies on microbiological reaction to convert sugars to CO2 & alcohol

• Same process used to make wine

• Input: selective feedstock for high efficiency High sugar content required – not suitable for most packaging materials

• Output – ethanol, CO2

• Chemical process similar to fermentation, without oxygen

• Input: Selective feedstock, specifically waste oil or other high fat / oil content – not suitable for most packaging materials

• Output: biodiesel

• Solid recovery fuel (SRF), refuse derived fuel (RDF), alternative solid fuel (ASF), engineered solid fuel (ESF) represent the collective use of non-recycled paper and plastic as a fuel source to replace coal, biomass, or other fuel sources

• Input: paper and fiber products, plastics• Output: solid fuel “pellets”

• Have mechanical recycling options been exhausted?

• What properties are required of the inputs?– Density, Moisture Content, Proportion of

C/H/O/N/Sulphur, Volatile Solids, pH

• Outputs – what is needed and how will outputs be used?

• If ALL the non-recycled paper and plastic packaging used in North America was collected and used to generate electricity for the power grid, it would supply enough electricity for all households in NA for about 30 days.

• If every household in the U.S. sent one 8 oz cream cheese tub for energy recovery it would be the energy equivalent of taking 1,655 cars off the road for an entire year.

• WtE discourages mechanical recycling– Communities in the U.S. with WtE have recycle rate at

least 5 percentage points above national average1

• Air Pollution, dioxins, toxic emissions, odors– WtE is closely regulated and emissions limits are

typically below those for coal fired power plants

• Public Acceptance– 10 of the 15 most livable cities in the world have WtE

(Vienna, Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, Dusseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt, Bern, Toronto, Helsinki )

1. Berenyi, Eileen Brettler PhD. “Recycling and Waste-to-Energy: Are They Compatible? 2009 Update” Govermental Advisory Associates, Inc.

• Eyesore

Ft. Lauderdale Paris Baltimore• Social injustice – facilities are often installed

in low-income areas– WtE facilities provide high quality manufacturing jobs

• We acknowledge that there are risks associated with any human activity, but methods are well-tested and regulated

• Energy recovery is not the best solution for every scenario, but is a viable waste resource management option for many materials

• The use of emerging technologies allows selective energy recovery by using only the highest energy content materials as inputs

• A comprehensive “resource management” strategy (rather than a waste management strategy) should seek to use energy recovery, together with mechanical recycling and composting, as complementary end of life solutions

• Energy recovery should be utilized whenever it provides the best environmental, social, and economic sustainability performance

• Definitions and Abbreviations• Publications• Websites of Interest• Grid of Technologies & Technology Providers