Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

An assessment of applicable waste combustion technologies, processes, and reference facilities capable of processing the waste streams identified in Phase 1, Task 1.

INSUPPORT OF :

SouthernAlbertaEnergyFromWasteAlliance VulcanInnovationProject VulcanCounty 102CenterStreet,Box180 Vulcan,AlbertaT0L2B0 PREPAREDBY:

4838RichardRoadSW,Suite140 WestMountCorporateCampus Calgary,ABT3E6L1 Approved by SAEWA Board: January 27, 2012

Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

Contents
1.0 2.0 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 1 DESCRIPTIONOFTECHNOLOGIESTOBEEVALUATED.............................................................................. 3

2.1ANAEROBICDIGESTION.............................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2MECHANICALBIOLOGICALTREATMENT(MBT).............................................................................................................. 4 2.3RDFPROCESSING..................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1RDFWITHSTOKERFIRING.......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2RDFW/FLUIDIZEDBEDCOMBUSTION......................................................................................................................... 6 2.3MASSBURNCOMBUSTION......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.4CATALYTICDEPOLYMERIZATION................................................................................................................................... 8 2.5HYDROLYSIS............................................................................................................................................................ 8 2.6PYROLYSIS............................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.7GASIFICATION.......................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.8PLASMAARCGASIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................... 10 2.9COMBINEDTECHNOLOGIES ....................................................................................................................................... 11 3.0 EVALUATIONANDIDENTIFICATIONOFSHORTLISTOFTECHNOLOGIES................................................. 12

3.1ANAEROBICDIGESTION ............................................................................................................................................ 14 3.2REFUSEDERIVEDFUELPROCESSINGANDCOMBUSTION ................................................................................................. 15 3.3MASSBURNCOMBUSTION...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4CATALYTICDEPOLYMERIZATION................................................................................................................................. 17 3.5HYDROLYSIS.......................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.6PYROLYSIS............................................................................................................................................................. 18 3.7GASIFICATION........................................................................................................................................................ 19 3.8PLASMAARCGASIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................... 21 3.9SUMMARYOFPHASEITECHNOLOGIESSCREENING........................................................................................................ 22 4.0 5.0 SHORTLISTOFTECHNOLOGIES............................................................................................................. 23 NEXTSTEPS ........................................................................................................................................... 24

Figures
Figure 1 SAEWA Membership ................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2 - Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Spain .............................................................................................. 4 Figure 3 - RDF Processing Facility, Virginia ................................................................................................. 5 Figure 4 - Spreader Stoker Unit .................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5 - Fluidized Bed RDF Combustion, Wisconsin ................................................................................. 6 Figure 6 - Mass Burn Facility, Florida ........................................................................................................... 7 Figure 7 - Gasification Facility, Tokyo ......................................................................................................... 10 Figure 8 - Plasma Arc Gasification, Ottawa ................................................................................................ 11 Figure 9 - Gasification and Catalytic Synthesis, Alberta ............................................................................. 12 Figure 10 - Anaerobic Digestion Block Diagram ......................................................................................... 14

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Figure 11 - Stockpiled RDF in Rennerod, Germany ................................................................................... 16 Figure 12 - Pyrolysis Block Diagram ........................................................................................................... 19 Figure 13- Gasification Block Diagram ....................................................................................................... 20

Tables
Table 1: Waste Steams Identified in Task 1 .............................................................................................. 13 Table 2: Summary of Technology Screening ............................................................................................. 22

Appendices
AppendixAProcessFlowDiagrams

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1.0 Introduction
TheSouthernAlbertaEnergyfromWasteAlliance(SAEWA)isacoalitionofwastemanagement jurisdictionscommittedtoresearchingandrecommendingforimplementation,technological applicationsforrecoveringenergyfromwastematerials,andreducingrelianceonlandfills. ThemembershipofSAEWAconsistsof16wasteauthoritieslistedbelowandincludedinFigure1: BowValleyWasteManagementCommission FoothillsRegionalServicesCommission MDofRanchlandsNo.66 Crowsnest/PincherCreekLandfillAssociation WillowCreekRegionalWasteManagementServicesCommission WheatlandCounty VulcanDistrictWasteCommission LethbridgeRegionalWasteMgmtServicesCommission TownofCoalhurst TownofCoaldale ChiefMountainRegionalSolidWasteAuthority NewellRegionalSolidWasteMgmtAuthority Taber&districtRegionalWasteManagementAuthority NorthFortyMileRegionalWasteMgmtCommission SouthFortyWasteServicesCommission SpecialAreasBoard(BigCountry)

InJuly2010,withtheassistanceofagrantfromRuralAlbertaDevelopmentFund,theteamofHDRand AECOMwereretainedtoassistSAEWAinfurtherexploringtheopportunitiestodevelopanEnergy fromWaste(EFW)facilityinSouthernAlberta.Thisresearchprojectconsistsoffour(4)phases,each withaseriesoftasksasfollows:

Phase1(CurrentPhase)
ProjectInitiation TASK1:WASTEGENERATIONRATESANDFACILITYSIZING TASK2:COMBUSTIONTECHNOLOGIES

ThecompletionofPhase1activitieswillresultintheidentificationofwastequantitiespotentially availabletobemanaged,thesizeofthefacilityrequiredtomanagethesematerials;andthe applicabletechnologiescapableofmanagingthequantityandcompositionofavailablewaste streams.

Phase2
ThecompletionofPhase2activitieswillresultintheidentificationofwastecollection, transportationandhandlingimplicationswithassociatedsitingopportunities;heatrecoveryand cogenerationoptions,includingpotentialmarket/sitingopportunities;anadditionallevelofdetail withrespecttotheenvironmentalimplications(nowincludingtransportationimpactsfromTask3), andthefacilitypermittingandsitingrequirements.Thisphasealsoincludesthedevelopmentofa

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Figure 1 SAEWA Membership

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futureprojectdevelopmentschedule.Eachofthetaskscompletedinthisphasewillthenbeutilized inPhase3toassesstheeconomicandfinancialimplications.

Phase3
ThecompletionofPhase3activitieswillresultintheidentificationoftheeconomicandfinancial implicationsofmovingforwardwiththedevelopmentofafacilityandrequiredsupporting infrastructure.

Phase4
ThecompletionofPhase4activitieswillincludeavisitto,andreviewof,operationalfacilitiesby SAEWAmembers.Thisphasewillbeconcludedwiththedevelopmentofasummaryreport documentingtheresultsofallstudytasksandrecommendationsfornextsteps. ThefollowingreportdocumentstheresultsofPhase1,Task2CombustionTechnologies.

2.0 Description of Technologies to be Evaluated

Thereviewofcombustiontechnologiescoversnotonlythermaltechnologies,butalsoassesseschemical andbiologicalprocesses.Thisreportevaluatesproven,new,andemergingtechnologiesintermsof theirpotentialtoprocessalloraportionoftheSAEWAwastestream.Theimportantconsiderationsfor SAEWAasitdecideswhethertoadoptnewtechnologieswillbethestageofdevelopmentandthe demonstratedreliabilityoftheprocessesassociatedwitheachtechnology,thecosts,andthepotential risksandbenefits. ThisoverviewdefinestheMSWtechnologiestobeinvestigatedforthisstudy.Thetechnologiesincluded inthereviewarethosethathavebeenimplementedsuccessfully,technologiesthathavebeentriedbut failedtosuccessfullyand/oreconomicallyhandleanMSWstreamonacommercialscale,andthosethat arecurrentlyconsideredtheoretical.Whileexamplevendorsarelistedthatproposeparticular technologies,thelistedvendorsareneitherrepresentedasallvendorsthatofferthetechnologynor necessarilythebettervendorsthatofferthetechnology.Thespecificsofindividualvendorstechnology wouldbeconsideredforamoreindepthreviewshouldaspecifictechnologybeselectedfor implementation. Thefollowingtechnologiesareevaluatedinthisstudy: Anaerobicdigestion Mechanicalbiologicaltreatment(MBT) Refusederivedfuel(RDF)withstokerfiring RDFwithfluidizedbedcombustion Massburncombustion Catalyticdepolymerization Hydrolysis Pyrolysis Gasification Plasmaarcgasification

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2.1 Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobicdigestion(AD)istheprocessofdecomposingtheorganicportionofMSWinacontrolled oxygendeficientenvironment.Itiswidelyusedtodigestsewagesludgeandanimalmanures.Bacteria produceabiogasthatconsistsmainlyofmethane,watervapor,andCO2throughaprocesscalled methanogenesis.Thisisthesameprocessthatgeneratesmethanenaturallyinlandfillsandwetlands. Usuallytheprocessisappliedtofoodandgreenwaste,agriculturalwaste,sludge,orothersimilarly limitedsegmentsofthewastestream.Theavailabilityofsuitablefeedstockcanbealimitingfactorin developmentofthistechnology.Thegasproducedcanbeusedasafuelforboilers,directlyinan internalcombustionengineor,insufficientquantities,inagasturbinetoproduceelectricity.The remainingresidueorsludge(digestate),whichcanbemorethan50%oftheinput,mayhavepotential use.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.1inAppendixA. OdourisacharacteristicofAD.Sitelocationandodourcontrolwouldbeamajorfactorinthe implementationofthistechnology. ADiswidelyusedonacommercialscalebasis forindustrialandagriculturalwastes,aswellas wastewatersludge.ADtechnologyhasbeen appliedonalargerscaleinEuropeonmixed MSWandsourceseparatedorganics(SSO),but thereisonlylimitedcommercialscale applicationinNorthAmerica.TheGreater TorontoAreaishometotwooftheonly commercialscaleplantsinNorthAmericathat aredesignedspecificallyforprocessingSSO; theDufferinOrganicProcessingFacilityin TorontoandtheCCIEnergyFacilityin Newmarket.Thereareanumberofsmaller facilitiesintheU.S.operatingoneithermixed MSW,SSO,orinsomecasescodigestedwith Figure 2 - Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Spain biosolids. VendorsincludeArrowEcology,Urbaser(ValorgaInternational),MustangRenewablePowerVentures, Ecocorp,OrganicWasteSystems,andGreenfinch.

2.2 Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)

Mechanicalbiologicaltreatment(MBT)isavariationoncompostingandmaterialsrecovery.This technologyisgenerallydesignedtoprocessafullycommingledMSWstream.Processedmaterials includemarketablemetals,glass,otherrecyclables,andarefusederivedfuel(RDF)thatcanbeusedfor combustion.LimitedcompostingisusedtobreaktheMSWdownanddrythefuel.Theorderof mechanicalseparating,shredding,andcompostingcanvary. ThistechnologyhasbeenusedextensivelyinEurope,butnotinNorthAmerica. Itisaneffectivewaste managementmethodandcanbebuiltinvarioussizes.TheRDFproducedbyanMBTprocessmustbe handledinsomeway:fireddirectlyinaboiler;convertedtoenergyviasomethermalprocess(e.g., combustion,gasification,etc.);orsellingittoathirdparty(e.g.CementKiln).Owingtoitssimilarityto

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RDFprocessinganditsuseofcompostingratherthananenergyrecoverytechnology,thisoptionwillnot beincludedforfurtheranalysis. ThistechnologyhasbeenusedinEurope,includingHerhofGmbHfacilitiesinGermany.Therehasnot beenwidespreadcommercialapplicationofthistechnologyonmixedMSWstreamsinNorthAmerica. Themajorityoftheapplicationsforthistechnologyareintheagriculturalandmeatprocessing industries.TheBedminsterBioconversioninvessel,mechanical,rotatingdrumtechnology(also referredtoasrotarydigesters)usedattheEdmontonCompostingFacilityisanexampleofa commerciallyavailableMBTtechnologythathasexperienceprocessingresidentialwaste.TheCityof TorontoisalsoconsideringdevelopingacommercialscaleMBTfacilityatitsGreenLaneLandfillSite locatedsouthwestofLondon.

2.3 RDF Processing

AnRDFprocessingsystempreparesMSWbyusingshredding,screening,airclassifyingandother equipmenttoproduceafuelproductforeitheronsitecombustion,offsitecombustion,orusein anotherconversiontechnologythatrequiresapreparedfeedstock.Aswithmechanicalbiological treatment(MBT),thegoalofthistechnologyistoderiveabetterfuel(limitedvariationsinsizeand composition)thatcanbeusedinamoreconventionalsolidfuelboilerascomparedtoamassburn boiler.Thetheoryisthatthesmallerboilerand associatedequipmentwouldoffsetthecostof theprocessingequipment.Thefuelgoesby variousnamesbutgenerallyiscategorizedasa refusederivedfuel(RDF). Allofthepostrecyclingmunicipalwaste streamcanbeprocessedbythistechnology withlimitedpresorting. Thissametechnology,perhapswithsome differencessuchasfinershredding,isrequired toprepareMSWasafeedstockforother conversiontechnologies(discussedinlater sections). RDFtechnologyisaproventechnologythatis usedatanumberofplantsintheU.S.,Europe Figure 3 - RDF Processing Facility, Virginia andAsia(generallylargerplantswithcapacities greaterthan1,500tonnesperday).Therearealsoanumberofcommercialreadytechnologiesthat convertthewastestreamintoastabilizedRDFpelletthatcanbefiredinanexistingcoalboileror cementkiln.TheDongarafacilitylocatedinYorkRegionisanexampleofsuchaRDFtechnology.Some otherRDFplantsareAmes,IA;SoutheasternPublicServiceAuthority,VA;FrenchIsland,WI;Mid Connecticut;Honolulu,HI;andWestPalmBeach,FL.ThereislimiteduseofthistechnologyinEuropeor Asia. AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.2inAppendixA. Vendors/SystemDesigners:EnergyAnswers;RRT;Dongara;WestrocEnergy;AmbientEcoGroup;and, CobbCreations

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2.1 RDF with Stoker Firing

ThistechnologyusesaspreaderstokertypeboilertocombustRDF.A frontendprocessingsystemisrequiredtoproduceaconsistently sizedfeedstock.(See2.3RDFProcessing.)TheRDFistypicallyblown ormechanicallyinjectedintoaboilerforsemisuspensionfiring. Combustioniscompletedonatravelinggrate.Thermalrecovery occursinanintegralwaterwallboiler.Airpollutioncontrol(APC) equipmentonexistingunitsincludesgoodcombustionpractices,dry scrubbersforacidgasneutralization,carboninjectionforcontrolof mercuryandcomplexorganics(e.g.,dioxins),andfabricfiltersfor particulateremoval.Thesefacilitiesarecapableofmeetingstringent airemissionrequirements.Newunitswouldlikelyrequireadditional NOxcontrolsuchasselectivenoncatalyticreduction(SNCR), selectivecatalyticreduction(SCR)orfluegasrecirculation. Thistechnologyisusedatthefollowingfacilitiesmentionedabove: SoutheasternPublicServiceAuthority,VA;MidConnecticut; Honolulu,HI;andWestPalmBeach,FL. BoilerVendors:Alstom;BabcockandWilcox;BabcockPower
Figure 4 - Spreader Stoker Unit

2.2 RDF w/ Fluidized Bed Combustion

ThistechnologyusesabubblingorcirculatingfluidizedbedofsandtocombustRDF.Afrontend processingsystemisrequiredtoproduceaconsistentlysizedfeedstock.(See2.3RDFProcessing.)Heat isrecoveredintheformofsteamfrom waterwallsofthefluidizedbedunitaswellasin downstreamboilerconvectionsections.The requiredAPCequipmentisgenerallysimilarto thatdescribedaboveforspreaderstokerunits. Limecanbeaddeddirectlytothefluidizedbedto helpcontrolacidgasessuchassulfurdioxide (SO2).RDFmaybecofiredwithcoal,wood(asin thecaseoftheFrenchIslandfacilityshown),or othermaterials. Thistechnologyisinlimitedcommercialusein NorthAmericaforwasteapplicationswithone operatingfacilityinWisconsin.Fluidizedbed Figure 5 - Fluidized Bed RDF Combustion, Wisconsin combustionismorecommonlyusedtodayfor combustionofcertainotherbiomassmaterialsandcoalthanitwasatthetimemostoftheexistingRDF facilitiesweredeveloped.ThistechnologywouldbesuitableforcombustionofRDFaloneortogether withbiomassandothercombustiblematerialsthatareeithersuitablysized(nominally8cm)orcanbe processedtoasuitablesize. FluidizedBedBoilerVendors:EnvironmentalProductsofIdaho(EPI),VonRollInova,FosterWheeler, andEbara.

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2.3 Mass-burn combustion

MassBurncombustiontechnologycan bedividedintotwomaintypes:(a) gratebased,waterwallboiler installations;and(b)modular,shop erectedcombustionunitswithshop fabricatedwasteheatrecoveryboilers. Themodularunitsaretypicallylimited tolessthan200tonnesperdayandare historicallyusedinfacilitieswherethe totalthroughputisunder500tpd.The largerMassBurnCombustionprocess withwaterwallboilersfeedMSW directlyintoaboilersystemwithno preprocessingotherthantheremoval oflargebulkyitemssuchasfurniture Figure 6 - Mass Burn Facility, Florida andwhitegoods.TheMSWistypically pushedontoagratebyaramconnectedtohydrauliccylinders.Airisadmittedunderthegrates,into thebedofmaterial,andadditionalairissuppliedabovethegrates.Theresultingfluegasespass throughtheboilerandthesensibleheatenergyisrecoveredintheboilertubestogeneratesteam.This createsthreestreamsofmaterial:Steam,FlueGasesandAsh.Thesteamcanbesolddirectlytoanend usersuchasamanufacturingfacilityordistrictheatingloop,orsenttoaturbinegeneratorand convertedintoelectricalpower,oracombinationoftheseuses.Inthesmallermodularmassburn systems,MSWisfedintoarefractorylinedcombustorwherethewasteiscombustedonrefractorylined hearths,orwithinarefractorylinedoscillatingcombustor(e.g.LaurentBouillet).Typicallythereisno heatrecoveryintherefractorycombustors,butrather,thefluegasesexitthecombustorsandentera heatrecoverysteamgenerator,orwasteheatboiler,wheresteamisgeneratedbythesensibleheatin thefluegas,resultinginthesamethreestreams:steam,fluegas,andash.Thebottomashfrommass burncombustionmayalsobeusedasaconstructionbasematerial,whichisacommonenduseforthis byproductinEurope.Theflyashfromtheboilerandfluegastreatmentequipmentiscollected separatelyandcaneitherbetreatedordisposedofdirectlyasahazardousmaterialinCanada. Massburntechnologiesutilizeanextensivesetofairpollutioncontrol(APC)devicesforfluegasclean up.ThetypicalAPCequipmentusedinclude:eitherselectivecatalyticreduction(SCR)ornoncatalytic reduction(SNCR)forNOxemissionsreduction;spraydryerabsorbers(SDA)orscrubbersforacidgas reduction;activatedcarboninjection(CI)formercuryanddioxinsreduction;andafabricfilterbaghouse (FF)forparticulateandheavymetalsremoval. Largescaleandmodularmassburncombustiontechnologyisusedincommercialoperationsatmore than80facilitiesintheU.S.,twoinCanada,andmorethan500inEurope,aswellasanumberinAsia. Examplesoflargerscalegratesystemtechnologyvendors(someoffermorethanonedesign)include: MartinGmbH,VonRollInova,KeppelSeghers,Steinmuller,FisiaBabcock,Volund,Takuma,andDetroit Stoker.Someexamplesofsmallerscaleandmodularmassburncombustionvendorsinclude:Enercon, LaurentBouillet,Consutech,andPioneerPlus.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.3in AppendixA.

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2.4 Catalytic Depolymerization

Inacatalyticdepolymerizationprocess,theplastics,syntheticfibrecomponentsandwaterintheMSW feedstockreactwithacatalystundernonatmosphericpressureandtemperaturestoproduceacrude oil.Thiscrudeoilcanthenbedistilledtoproduceasyntheticgasolineorfuelgradediesel.Thereare fourmajorstepsinacatalyticdepolymerizationprocess:Preprocessing,ProcessFluidUpgrading, CatalyticReaction,andSeparationandDistillation.ThePreprocessingstepisverysimilartotheRDF processwheretheMSWfeedstockisseparatedintoprocessresidue,metalsandRDF.Thisprocess typicallyrequiresadditionalprocessingtoproduceamuchsmallerparticlesizewithlesscontamination. ThenextstepintheprocessispreparingthisRDF.TheRDFismixedwithwaterandacarrieroil (hydraulicoil)tocreateRDFsludge.ThisRDFsludgeissentthroughacatalyticturbinewherethe reactionunderhightemperatureandpressureproducesalightoil.Thelightoilisthendistilledto separatethesyntheticgasolineordieseloil. Thiscatalyticdepolymerizationprocessissomewhatsimilartothatusedatanoilrefinerytoconvert crudeoilintousableproducts.Thistechnologyismosteffectivewithprocessingawastestreamwitha highplasticscontentandmaynotbesuitableforamixedMSWstream.Theneedforahighplastics contentfeedstockalsolimitsthesizeofthefacility. TherearenolargescalecommercialcatalyticdepolymerizationfacilitiesoperatinginNorthAmericathat useapurelymixedMSWstreamasafeedstock.TherearesomefacilitiesinEuropethatutilizethisora similarprocesstoconvertwasteplastics,wasteoils,andotherselectfeedstocks.Onevendorclaimsto haveacommercialscalefacilityinSpainthathasbeeninoperationsincethesecondhalfof2009. However,operatingdataoranupdateonthestatusofthisfacilitycouldnotbeobtained. Therearealsotechnologyvendorsthatutilizeaprocessthatisthermalinnature(e.g.,gasification, pyrolysis)toconverttheMSWstreamtoasyngasthatisfurthertreatedbyachemicalprocess,suchas depolymerizationoranassociatedrefiningprocess(e.g.,FischerTropschsynthesis),togeneratea syntheticgasolineordieselfuel.TheCityofEdmontonprojectinAlberta,CanadathatusestheEnerkem technologyisanexampleofacommercialscalefacilitythatwillusesuchaprocess.TheCityof Edmontonhasconductedsomepilottesting,andthecommercialscaleprojectiscurrentlyin construction(scheduledtobeoperationalby2012). AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.4inAppendixA. Someexamplesofvendorsthatprovidecatalyticdepolymerizationtypetechnologiesinclude:ConFuel K2,AlphaKat/KDV,Enerkem,ChangingWorldTechnologies,andGreenPowerInc.

2.5 Hydrolysis
Thereismuchinterestanddevelopmentintheareaofcellulosicethanoltechnologytomovefromcorn basedethanolproductiontotheuseofmoreabundantcellulosicmaterials.Applyingthesetechnologies towastematerialsusinghydrolysisispartofthatdevelopment. ThehydrolysisprocessinvolvesthereactionofthewaterandcellulosefractionsintheMSWfeedstock (e.g.,paper,foodwaste,yardwaste,etc.)withastrongacid(e.g.,sulfuricacid)toproducesugars.Inthe nextprocessstep,thesesugarsarefermentedtoproduceanorganicalcohol.Thisalcoholisthen distilledtoproduceafuelgradeethanolsolution.Hydrolysisisamultistepprocessthatincludesfour majorsteps:Pretreatment;Hydrolysis;Fermentation;andDistillation.SeparationoftheMSWstreamis necessarytoremovetheinorganic/inertmaterials(glass,plastic,metal,etc.)fromtheorganicmaterials

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(foodwaste,yardwaste,paper,etc.).Theorganicmaterialisshreddedtoreducethesizeandtomake thefeedstockmorehomogenous.Theshreddedorganicmaterialisplacedintoareactorwhereitis introducedtotheacidcatalyst.Thecelluloseintheorganicmaterialisconvertedintosimplesugars. Thesesugarscanthenbefermentedandconvertedintoanalcoholwhichisdistilledintofuelgrade ethanol.Thebyproductsfromthisprocessarecarbondioxide(fromthefermentationstep),gypsum (fromthehydrolysisstep)andlignin(noncellulosematerialfromthehydrolysisstep).Sincetheacid actsonlyasacatalyst,itcanbeextractedandrecycledbackintotheprocess. Therehavebeensomedemonstrationandpilotscalehydrolysisapplicationscompletedusingmixed MSWandotherselectwastestreams.However,therehasbeennowidespreadcommercialapplication ofthistechnologyinNorthAmericaorabroad.Acommercialscalehydrolysisfacilityhasbeen permittedforconstructioninMonroe,NewYorkintheU.S.,butthisprojectiscurrentlyonhold. Someexamplesofvendorsthatoffersomeformofthehydrolysistechnologyinclude:MasadaOxyNol; Biofine;and,ArkenolFuels.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.5inAppendixA.

2.6 Pyrolysis
PyrolysisisgenerallydefinedastheprocessofheatingMSWinanoxygendeficientenvironmentto produceacombustiblegaseousorliquidproductandacarbonrichsolidresidue.Thisissimilartowhat isdonetoproducecokefromcoalorcharcoalfromwood.Thefeedstockcanbetheentiremunicipal wastestream,but,insomecases,presortingorprocessingisusedtoobtainarefusederivedfuel.(See 2.3RDFProcessing.)Somemodularcombustorsuseatwostagecombustionprocessinwhichthefirst chamberoperatesinalowoxygenenvironmentandthecombustioniscompletedinthesecond chamber.Similartogasification,oncecontaminantshavebeenremoved,thegasorliquidderivedfrom theprocesscanbeusedinaninternalcombustionengineorgasturbineorasafeedstockforchemical production.Generally,pyrolysisoccursatalowertemperaturethangasification,althoughthebasic processesaresimilar. Pyrolysissystemshavehadsomesuccesswithwoodwastefeedstocks.Severalattemptsto commercializelargescaleMSWprocessingsystemsintheU.S.inthe1980sfailed,butthereareseveral pilotprojectsatvariousstagesofdevelopment.Therehavebeensomecommercialscalepyrolysis facilitiesinoperationinEurope(e.g.Germany)onselectwastestreams.Vendorsclaimthatthe activatedcarbonbyproductfromthepyrolysisismarketable,butthishasnotbeendemonstrated. Someexamplesofvendorsthatofferthepyrolysistechnologyinclude:BrightstarEnvironmental,Mitsui, CompactPower,PKA,ThideEnvironmental,WasteGenUK,InternationalEnvironmentalSolutions(IES), SMUDATechnologies(plasticsonly),andUtahValleyEnergy.Aprocessflowdiagramisprovidedin FigureA.6inAppendixA.

2.7 Gasification
Gasificationconvertscarbonaceousmaterialintoasynthesisgasorsyngascomposedprimarilyof carbonmonoxideandhydrogen.Followingacleaningprocesstoremovecontaminantsthissyngascan beusedasafueltogenerateelectricitydirectlyinacombustionturbine,orfiredinaHRSGtocreate steamthatcanbeusedtogenerateelectricityviasteamcondensingturbine.Thesyngasgeneratedcan alsobeusedasachemicalbuildingblockinthesynthesisofgasolineordieselfuel.Thefeedstockfor mostgasificationtechnologiesmustbepreparedintoRDFdevelopedfromtheincomingMSW,orthe technologymayonlyprocessaspecificsubsetofwastematerialssuchaswoodwaste,tires,carpet,

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scrapplastic,orotherwastestreams.SimilartoFluidizedBedCombustion,theseprocessestypically requiremorefrontendseparationandmoresizereduction,andresultinlowerfuelyields(lessfuelper tonneofMSWinput).Thereexistsonetechnology,Thermoselect,whichdoesnotrequire preprocessingoftheincomingMSWsimilartoamassburncombustionsystem. Thefeedstockreactsinthegasifierwithsteamandsometimesairoroxygenathightemperaturesand pressuresinareducing(oxygenstarved)environment.Inadditiontocarbonmonoxideandhydrogen, thesyngasconsistsofwater,smallerquantitiesofCO2,andsomemethane.Processingofthesyngas canbecompletedinanoxygendeficientenvironment,orthegasgeneratedcanbepartiallyorfully combustedinthesamechamber.ThelowtomidMegajoulesyngascanbecombustedinaboiler,or followingacleanupprocessagasturbine,orengineorusedinchemicalrefining.Ofthesealternatives, boilercombustionisthemostcommon,butthecycleefficiencycanbeimprovedifthegascanbe processedinanengineorgasturbine,particularlyifthewasteheatisthenusedtogeneratesteamand additionalelectricityinacombinedcyclefacility. Airpollutioncontrolequipmentsimilartothatofamass burnunitwillberequiredifthesyngasisuseddirectlyin aboiler.Ifthesyngasisconditionedforuseelsewhere, theconditioningequipmentwillneedtoaddressacid gases,mercury,tarsandparticulates. Gasificationhasbeenproventoworkonselectwaste streams,particularlywoodwastes.However,the technologydoesnothavealotofcommercialscale successusingmixedMSWwhenattemptedintheU.S. andEurope.Japanhasseveraloperatingcommercial Figure 7 - Gasification Facility, Tokyo scalegasificationfacilitiesthatclaimtoprocessatleast someMSW.InJapan,onegoaloftheprocessisto generateavitrifiedashproducttolimittheamountofmaterialhavingtobedivertedtoscarcelandfills. Inaddition,manyuniversitysizeresearchanddevelopmentunitshavebeenbuiltandoperatedonan experimentalbasisinNorthAmericaandabroad.AprocessflowdiagramisprovidedinFigureA.7in AppendixA. Examplesofanumberofpotentialgasificationvendorsinclude:Thermoselect,Ebara,Primenergy, BrightstarEnvironmental,Erergos,TaylorBiomassEnergy,SilvaGas,Technip,CompactPower,PKA,and NewPlanetEnergy.

2.8 Plasma Arc Gasification

Plasmaarctechnologyusescarbonelectrodestoproduceaveryhightemperaturearcrangingbetween 3,000to7,000degreesCelsiusthatvaporizesthefeedstock.Thehighenergyelectricarcthatisstruck betweenthetwocarbonelectrodescreatesahightemperatureionizedgas(orplasma).Theintense heatoftheplasmabreakstheMSWandtheotherorganicmaterialsfedtothereactionchamberinto basicelementalcompounds.Theinorganicfractions(glass,metals,etc.)oftheMSWstreamaremelted toformaliquidslagmaterialwhichwhencooledandhardenedencapsulatestoxicmetals.Theash materialformsaninertglasslikeslagmaterialthatmaybemarketableasaconstructionaggregate. Metalscanberecoveredfrombothfeedstockpreprocessingandfromthepostprocessingslag material.

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Similartogasificationandpyrolysisprocesses,theMSWfeedstockispreprocessedtoremovebulky wasteandotherundesirablematerials,aswellasforsizereduction.Plasmatechnologyalsoproducesa syngas;thisfuelcanbecombustedandtheheatrecoveredinaHRSG,orthesyngascanbecleanedand combusteddirectlyinaninternalcombustionengineor gasturbine.Electricityand/orthermalenergy(i.e. steam,hotwater)canbeproducedbythistechnology. Vendorsofthistechnologyclaimefficienciesthatare comparabletoconventionalmassburntechnologies (600700+kWh/tonne(net)).Somevendorsare claimingevenhigherefficiencies(9001,200 kWh/tonne(net)).Thesehigherefficienciesmaybe feasibleifacombinedcyclepowersystemisproposed. However,theelectricityrequiredtogeneratethe plasmaarc,aswellastheotherauxiliarysystems Figure 8 - Plasma Arc Gasification, Ottawa required,bringsintoquestionwhethermoreelectrical powerorotherenergyproductscanbeproducedthan whatisconsumedintheprocess. Thistechnologyclaimstoachievelowerharmfulemissionsthanmoreconventionaltechnologies,like massburnandRDFprocesses.However,APCequipmentsimilartoothertechnologieswouldstillbe requiredforthecleanupofthesyngasorotheroffgases. Plasmatechnologyhasreceivedconsiderableattentionrecently,andthereareseverallargescale projectsbeingplannedinNorthAmerica(e.g.SaintLucieCounty,Florida;AtlanticCounty,NewJersey). Inaddition,thereareanumberofcommercialscaledemonstrationfacilitiesinNorthAmerica,including thePlascoEnergyFacilityinOttawa,OntarioandtheAlterNRGdemonstrationfacilityinMadison, PennsylvaniaintheU.S.PyroGenesisCanada,Inc.,basedoutofMontreal,Quebec,alsohasa demonstrationunit(approximately10tpd)locatedonHulburtAirForceBaseinFloridathathasbeenin variousstagesofstartupsince2010. ThereareanumberofPlasmaArctechnologyvendors,includingStartech,Geoplasma,PyroGenesis Canada,Inc.,Westinghouse,AlterNRG,PlascoEnergy,IntegratedEnvironmentalTechnologiesand Coronal.

2.9 Combined Technologies

Gasificationsystemshavebeenproposedtobecombinedwithothertechnologiestoattemptto producealiquidfuel.TheEnerkemAlbertaBiofuelsprojectinCalgaryproposestousegasification followedbycatalyticsynthesisofthesyngastoproduceethanol.Agasificationfacilityproposedby InterstateWasteTechnologies(IWT)inTaunton,Massachusettsthatranintoapprovaldifficultiesowing toastatewideincinerationbanhadalsoproposedconvertingthesyngastoethanol. Thesearefacilitiesthatwouldbeconsidereddemonstrationfacilitiesbecausethetechnologyhasnot previouslybeenprovencommerciallyonamunicipalsolidwastefeedstock. Vendors:Enerkem,IWT

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Source:www.enerkem.com

Figure 9 - Gasification and Catalytic Synthesis, Alberta

3.0 Evaluation and Identification of Short-List of Technologies

ThetechnologiesdiscussedinSection2.0coverawidespectrumofwasteprocessingapproaches.The screeninginthissectionidentifiesthetechnologiesapplicabletothewastestreamidentifiedinTask1of thisprojectthatareproven,orthathaveshownarealpotentialtoworkefficientlyandreliablyinNorth Americaandabroad,fromthosethathavenotbeeneffectivelyimplemented.Effectivelyimplemented hasseveralcomponentsincludingareliableprocessandeconomicviabilitycomparedtoother technologieswiththesamegoal(wastereductionorenergygeneration)togetherwithalackof environmentaleffectsthataredifficulttomanageorpermit. Thecriteriaincludedinthescreeningprocessareasfollows: StateofDevelopment; EnvironmentalConsiderations; Risk;and, ApplicabilitytothewastestreamidentifiedinTask1.

Thestateofdevelopmentoftechnologiesbeingconsideredinthisevaluationvarieswidely.One technologyisincommercialoperationusingMSWasafeedstockinnumerousfacilitiesworldwide. AnotherisinlimitedcommercialoperationusingsupplementedMSWasafeedstockinJapan.Athirdis inoperationusingaselectedportionoftheMSWwastestreamatafewcommercialinstallationsin Europe.Othershavedemonstrationand/orpilotfacilitiesinoperationordevelopmentusingMSWasa feedstock.Somehaveprototypefacilitiesunderconstruction.Someareyettobedeveloped commercially.Thesedifferenceswillbetabulatedforcomparison. Eachofthetechnologieswillposeenvironmentalconsiderations.Thedifferences,ifany,intheabilityof thetechnologiestocomplywithpermitrequirementswillbetabulatedforcomparison.These environmentalconsiderationswillbeassessedingreaterdetailinlatertasksofthisstudyandwill includethepotentialairemissions,waterconsumptionand/ordischarge,andlandrequirements.

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Theeconomicsfrombothacapitalcostandoperatingvarybetweenthetechnologies.Inaddition,the certaintyassociatedwithestimatingthesecostsislimitedwiththelessdevelopedtechnologies.Detail economicanalyseswillbecompletedaspartofTask7. Eachofthetechnologiespresentsadifferentriskprofile.Theknownrisklevelsassociatedwitheach technologywillbetabulatedforcomparison. Table1presentedbelowwasdevelopedforTask11.BasedontheanalysisofTask1,thewastetonnage realisticallyavailableisapproximately365,000tonnesperyearwithanaveragehigherheatingvalueof approximately14,000KJ/Kgto15,000KJ/Kg.Whilethisrepresents1,000tonnesperday,afacility wouldbesomewhatlargerthanthistoaccommodateoutages.1,000tonnesperdaywith(+/10% contingency)representsthemaximumthroughputcapacityofafacility;however,theactualsizeofthe facilitycouldvarydependingonanumberoffactorsincluding: Thetypeoftechnologysometechnologiesarebettersuitedformultiplesmallerfacilities whileothersrealizeeconomiesofscaleinthedevelopmentofonelargefacility; Transportationimplications(tobeassessedinPhase2)transportationrequirementsmay resultinthedevelopmentofseveralsmallerfacilitiestoallowforshortertraveldistancesfrom thepointofwastegenerationtothefacility; AvailabilityoftheWastetodate,thedescribedwastequantitieshavebeenidentifiedas potentiallyavailable,however,furtheranalysis(inparticularfinancialanalysis)isrequiredto identifythecurrentcostofwastedisposalversustheprojectedcostwiththedevelopmentof thisfacility.

Eachoftheseabovefactorswillinpart,helptodeterminethepreferredfacility(ies)sizing.Giventhese factors,anddependingonthenumberoffacilities,forthepurposesofthisassessment,thefacilitysize couldrangefrom: 270tonnesperday(2facilities,MSWfromSAEWAMembersonly) 540tonnesperday(1facility,MSWfromSAEWAMembersonly) 1,000tonnesperday(1facility,allpotentiallyavailablewasteidentified)

Thesuitabilityofeachtechnologyfortheidentifiedwastestreamandquantitywillbeconsideredinthe evaluation.
Table 1: Waste Steams Identified in Task 1

WasteStream MSWfromSAEWAMembers MSWfromNonSAEWAMembers

SouthernAlbertaEnergyfromWasteAlliance(SAEWA)ResearchProject,Phase1,Task1:WasteGeneration Rates&FacilitySizing,February17,2011.
1

PotentiallyAvailable WasteforSAEWA (Tonnes/year) 196,850 13,300

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WasteStream OtherWasteSources: ICISectorWaste AgriculturalWaste Biosolids ContaminatedSoils CombustibleOilfieldWaste RailwayTies SpecifiedRiskMaterialsMBM TOTAL

PotentiallyAvailable WasteforSAEWA (Tonnes/year) 0 0 1,232 0 2,500 124,650 27,500 366,032

Atablehasalsobeenpreparedshowingtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthevarioustechnologies andashortlistofreasonabletechnologiesidentified.

3.1 Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobicdigestionisusedextensivelyfor processingwastewatertreatmentsludge, butithasnotbeenusedextensivelyfor treatingMSW.Thereareseveralplantsin EuropetreatingaportionoftheMSW stream.InNorthAmericaanaerobic digestionwithenergyrecoveryiscommonin wastewatertreatmentapplications,buthas yettobeemployedcommerciallyusing MSWasafeedstock. Figure10showsablockdiagramofan anaerobicdigestionprocess.Thedigestion processissimilartowhatoccursinalandfill andcanbequitemalodourous.Most systemsaresmallerissizeduetothelimited Figure 10 - Anaerobic Digestion Block Diagram feedstock.AlowBtugasmightbecollected forenergyrecoveryinaboiler,engine,or otherdevice,orinsmallquantitiesitcould beflared.Theremainingresidueorsludge,whichcanbemorethan50%oftheinput,couldbescreened andusedasasoilamendment.Anaerobicdigestioncouldreducethetotalwastestreambylessthan
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10%to20%,dependingonthelevelofsourceseparatedcollectionandthetypesofmaterials processed. Theenvironmentalrisksincludepotentialemissionsofmethaneandothergreenhousegases.Minor hydrocarbonemissionscanoccurandresultinodourcomplaintsfromneighbors.Somewatermightbe used;however,inmanycases,excesswaterwouldbedischargedfromthefacility.Dependingonthe feedstock,thesoilamendmentproductcouldhavetracemetalsorothercontaminants.Upon combustionofthemethaneNOxemissionsmayrequirecontrol. Theprimaryriskassociatedwiththistechnologywouldbethepotentialforodours.Iffeedstockother thansourceseparatedorganicmaterialsisutilized,therewouldberiskofdifficultieswithprocessing materialsaswellasperformanceissuesassociatedwithdeleteriousmaterialsinthewastestream. Thistechnologywouldbeabletohandlefoodwasteorothersourceseparatedorganicmaterials,butit wouldnotbeapplicabletotheentirewastestream.Itmaybeaviabledisposaloptionforthe25,000to 30,000tonnesperyearofmeatandbonemealfromSRMidentifiedinTask1aswellasaportionofthe MSWstreamidentified.UsingADtomanageSRMmustbeapprovedbytheCFIA. ConclusionForselectportionsofthewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsidereda proventechnologypresentinglimitedrisk.Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.This technologywillbeincludedontheshortlist,however,willnotbeabletomanagetheentirewaste streamidentifiedaspotentiallyavailable.

3.2 Refuse-Derived Fuel Processing and Combustion

RDFfacilitiescanbeusedtoaddressnearlytheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1.Useofthe railroadtieswouldrequirepreshredding.Facilitiescanrangeinsizefromseveralhundredtonnesper daytomorethan3,000tonnesperday.Historically,RDFfacilitieswerelargetotakeeconomic advantageofthereducedsizeofthecombustionequipment.Recyclingprocessescanalsobebuiltinto anRDFfacility;however,thesedirtyMRFs(whichsortmixedMSWandrecyclables)usuallyarelimited intheirproductivity.Metalscanusuallybesortedbymagnetsandeddycurrentseparators.AnRDF facilitystrivestodevelopaconsistentlysizedfuelwitharelativelyconstantheatingvalue.These facilitiescanemploymultipleshreddingstages,largetrommelscreensorothertypesofscreensfor sizing,severalstagesofmagnets,andpossiblyairseparationandeddycurrentmagnets.Theproduct wouldtypicallyhaveanominalparticlesizeof9to10cm,havethegritandmetalslargelyremoved,and bereadytofeedintoaboiler. ThecomplexityofanRDFfacilitycanbequitehigh,sincetheplantattemptstoproduceafuelwitha consistentsize,moistureandashcontent.Thefuelusermightbededicatedand/orlocatedonsiteor nearby.Itisalsopossiblethatthefuelproducedcouldbesuppliedtoanexistingoffsiteboilerthatcan handletheRDFasasupplementalfeedstock.Someexistingwoodorcoalfiredboilerscouldbeableto processtheRDFandsaveonfuelcosts.However,corrosionisaconcernforboilersthatarenotdesigned forRDF. OtherRDFfacilitiescanbeclassifiedasashredandburnstyle,whichshredthematerialand magneticallyremoveferrousmetalswithoutremovingfines.SomeRDFfacilitieshaveconvertedto shredandburnthroughblankingthesmallholesintrommels.Thepurposeforthisistoreducethe overallamountofresidue(fines)landfilled.

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ThereareseveralexamplesofRDFplantsintheU.S.thatusevaryingdegreesofpreprocessingandRDF production.RDFfrontendprocessingcancreatechallengesforthefacility.Explosionscanoccurinthe shredders,thusrequiring,ataminimum,theprimaryshredderstobeplacedinexplosionresistant bunkers.MSWisveryabrasive,whichcauseswearandtearonallcomponents.Allsystemsaresubject tohighmaintenancecostsandrequireextensiverepairsandfrequentcleaningtokeepthefacility online.Normally,processingoccursononeortwoshiftswithashiftreservedeachdayforcleaningand maintenance.Therefore,processingsystemsneedtobesizedlargerthantheassociatedboilers,and storagecapacitymustbeprovidedbothforincomingwasteandforRDFtokeepthefacilityrunning smoothly. FullscalecommercialfacilitiesexistintheU.S.,soitisconsideredademonstratedtechnology. WhenthecombustionandpowergenerationfacilitiesarenotcolocatedwiththeRDFprocessing, arrangementscanbehardtoestablishandmaintainwhichincreasestheoperatingrisktotheRDF facilityifthepowerplantdecidestostopacceptingthesupplementalfuel.Asanexample,duringsite visitstoGermanyinMarch2007,studyteammembersobservedsignificantRDFstockpilesduetoaloss intheavailablemarkettotakethematerial.

Figure 11 - Stockpiled RDF in Rennerod, Germany

RDFfacilitieswillhavesomeairemissionsdirectlyfromtheprocessingaswellasfromtheboiler. Fugitiveparticulatesfromtheprocessmustbecontrolled.Odourscouldbeanissuefromthe processingfacility.ThecombustionsystemwillhavesimilarairemissionconsiderationsandsimilarAPC equipmentasmassburnfacilities.Theresiduefromtheprocessingcouldbelandfilledandcouldbe usedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases.Ashfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobe landfilled.Waterwillberequiredforthefacility,anddesignfeaturescouldbeprovidedtoeliminate discharges.Allofthesefactorscanbeaddressedthroughproperdesignengineering.

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ConclusionFortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven technologypresentinglimitedrisk.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireashredderinadditiontothe typicalRDFprocessingequipment.Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnology willbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.3 Mass-Burn Combustion

Massburntechnologyisthemostdemonstratedandcommerciallyviableofthetechnologiesavailable. Iftherailroadtiesareshredded,thetechnologyissuitabletohandletheentirewastestreamidentified inTask1.ProjectsofvarioussizesexistintheU.S.andthroughouttheworld.Wasteisadifficultand variablematerialtodealwith,andthemassburnapproachminimizesthehandlingandprocessingof thismaterial. APCequipmentisrequiredtoaddressmercuryandcomplexorganics(activatedcarboninjection),NOx (selectivenoncatalyticreduction,SNCRorselectivecatalyticreduction,SCR),acidgases(dryscrubber), andparticulatematter(fabricfiltersorbaghouse).APCequipmentisavailabletomeetstringent emissionrequirements. Ashresiduegeneratedwillbeabout30%oftheincomingweightandabout10%ofthevolume.Ferrous andnonferrousmetalscanberecoveredfromtheash.Ithasbeendemonstratedthatthecombinedash canachievetherequirementstobeclassifiedasnonhazardousandcanbedisposedinalandfill.Often thematerialisusedasdailycoverandforotherlandfilluses.Somedemonstrationprojectshaveshown thatatleastthebottomashcanbescreenedforuseasanaggregateandusedasroadbedsubgrade material,formedintoartificialreefs,usedforminecapping,oremployedforotheruses.However,large scalecommercialendusesfortheashhavenotoccurredinNorthAmerica. InEurope,bottomashis keptseparatefromflyash,andallthebottomashistypicallyusedasaggregate. Waterwillberequiredforthefacilityandazerodischargedesigncouldbedevelopedsimilartowhatis proposedforthenewDurhamYorkEnergyCentreinOntario. ConclusionFortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven technologypresentinglimitedrisk.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodelivery ofthematerialtotherefusepit.Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnology willbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.4 Catalytic Depolymerization

Catalyticdepolymerizationhasbeenproposedinsomelocationsforselectportionsofthewastestream withconcentratedplasticscontent.Itmightbemosteffectivelyappliedataverylargeplastics manufacturingfacilityorsimilarindustrythatcanbecomethesourceofthefeedstock.Becausesuch arrangementsareveryrare,limitedinterestinthistechnologyhasdeveloped.Somevendorsclaimthat oilproductscouldbeproduced.Thisprocesswouldbeabletoaddressasmallpercentageofthewaste streamtheplastics,whichwouldhavetobesegregated.Nosuchwastestreamswereidentifiedin Task1. Few,ifany,demonstrationprojectsandtestshavemovedbeyondthelaboratorystageofdevelopment. NoknowncommercialfacilitiesareinoperationusingMSWasafeedstock. Similarly,theenvironmentalrisksarenotwelldefined.Inadditiontotheenvironmentalrisksofany similartechnology,catalyticcrackingcouldemitsomehydrocarbonsfromtheprocess.Therecouldalso

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besomeotherrisksresultingfromthehandlingofthecatalystsorsolventsandrelatedcompoundsthat mightberequiredfortheprocess.Waterconsumptionrequirementsandwastewaterdischargeisnot known. ConclusionThiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreams identifiedinTask1.Thetechnologywouldpresentsubstantialperformancerisks.Thistechnologywill notbeincludedontheshortlist.

3.5 Hydrolysis
Likecatalyticcracking,hydrolysiswilladdressonlyaportionofthetotalwastestream.Thisprocess wouldusethecelluloserichportionofthewaste.Somevendorsclaimthatmarketableethanol, methane,orotherproductscouldbeproduced.Thisprocesswouldbeabletoaddressonlyuptoabout 20%ofthepaper/celluloserelatedfractionofthewastestream.Nopracticalfeedstockforthisprocess wasidentifiedinTask1. Fewdemonstrationprojectsandtestshavebeencompleted,andthosethathavewerefocusedonthe useofcornstoverandotherbiomassmaterialsforethanolproduction.Testswithmixedwasteoreven paperfeedstockhavebeenlimited,andthereforecostinformationislimited.Noknowncommercial facilitiesareinoperationwithmixedwasteasafeedstock. Similarly,theenvironmentalrisksarenotwelldefined.Inadditiontotheenvironmentalrisksofany associatedtechnology,therewouldbesomeemissionsrisksrelatedtomethaneemissionsorissues dealingwithpotentialchemicalspills.Itisexpectedthatsignificantquantitiesofwaterwouldbe consumedandwastewaterdischargewouldberequired. ConclusionThiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreamidentified inTask1.Thetechnologywouldpresentsubstantialperformancerisks.Thistechnologywillnotbe includedontheshortlist.

3.6 Pyrolysis
PyrolysishasbeenattemptedinalimitednumberofMSWcombustionfacilitiesintheU.S.andisin operationinatleastonefacilityinEurope.Thecombustionprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunits wouldlikelyrequireapreparedfuelthatisadequatelysized.Thetechnologycanprocessnearlyallthe postrecycledwastestream.Ifpreprocessingisconducted,theremovalofmetals,glass,andotherinert materialswouldbebeneficialfortheoperationofthepyrolysisunit. Pyrolysishasbeenattemptedtoprocessspecificwastecomponentssuchasshreddedwoodorused tires.Ahighcarboncontentcharandalowenergygasoraliquidfuelareproduced.Formationof charcoalfromwoodorcokefromcoalisapyrolyticprocess.Normally,theprocessiscompletedinan oxygendeficientenvironmenttolimitthecombustionofthefeedstockandmaximizethefuel generation.Alargerquantityofresidueremainsforpyrolysisthanforotherthermalprocesses.Thechar couldconceivablyberecoveredandcombustedorusedforotherpurposes.

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Figure 12 - Pyrolysis Block Diagram

Historically,afewlargescalefacilitieswerebuiltintheU.S.andhadmechanicalandotherproblems whenprocessingmixedwaste.OfparticularnotewerelargescalepyrolysisplantsbuiltnearBaltimore andSanDiego.Theywerescaledupfrompilotprojectsandwereneverabletofunctionatacommercial scale.Severalotherprojectswerealsocompletedbutnonehaveprovedtobeeconomicallyviable.In Germany,atleastonepyrolysisfacilityisoperating.Itwasbuiltinthemid1980sandappearstostillbe operatingtoday.Itisarelativelylowcapacityfacilityandhasnotbeenreplicatedonalargerscale.At leastoneotherlargerscaleprojectwasattemptedinthemid1990sinGermanyusinganother technology,butoperationalproblemsforceditsclosureafterashorttime. Facilitiesusingthepyrolyticoilandotherproductsasfuelcouldhavesomeofthesameairemissions considerationsasmassburnfacilities.LessSO2mightbegeneratedinthegasoroil,becausemostof thesulfurisexpectedtostaywiththechar.However,ifthechariscombusted,thesulfurcouldbe released.UnitsthatheatthefeedstockinanoxygendeficientenvironmentwouldproducelessNOx. Mercurywouldbeexpectedtobelargelydrivenoffwiththegasandwouldhavetobedealtwithfrom theexhaustofthegascombustiondevice.Othermetalscouldremainwiththecharandcouldlargelybe separatedfromthecharpriortocombustionwithasuitableprocessingsystem. Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacility,andwastewatermightbedischarged.Odourscouldbean issuefromtheprocessingfacility.Residuewillneedtobeaddressed.Theresiduefromtheprocessing couldbelandfilledandcouldbeusedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases.Ashremainingafter combustingthecharfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobelandfilledafterdemonstrating nonhazardousproperties. ConclusionThiswouldnotbeconsideredaproventechnologyforanyofthewastestreamidentified inTask1.Thetechnologywouldpresentsubstantialperformancerisks.Thistechnologywillnotbe includedontheshortlist.

3.7 Gasification
Gasificationandpyrolysisaresomewhatsimilartechnologies.Gasificationtechnologygenerallyinvolves higheroperatingtemperatures.Gasificationtechnologyhasbeenindevelopmentinanumberof locationsintheU.S.andaroundtheworld.Generally,theprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunits requireapreparedfuelwithmuchoftheinertmaterials(glass,metals,etc.)removedandtheremaining materialsizedtotherequirementsoftheunit.Thetechnologycanprocessnearlytheentirepost recycledwastestream.

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GasificationofwoodhasbeenpracticedsuccessfullyonalargescalesinceWorldWarII,andcoal gasificationisreceivingalotofattentionrightnow.GasificationofMSWislimitedtoafewsmallscale operationsinNorthAmericaandJapan,althoughseveralcompaniesareworkingaggressivelyto implementfullscalefacilities. Normally,theprocessiscompletedinanoxygendeficientenvironmenttolimitthecombustionofthe feedstockandproduceasyngascomposedprimarilyofCO.Intheory,thegascanbeprocessedinagas turbineorenginebutismoretypicallyburnedinaboilerspecificallydesignedforthegasification products.

Figure 13- Gasification Block Diagram

AtleasttwolargecommercialscalegasificationsystemsweredevelopedandbuiltinGermany. Operationalproblemshaveresultedintheshutdownandclosureofthefacilities.Noothermorerecent attemptsatcommercializationhavebeenmadeinEurope. AnumberofgasificationplantsareoperatinginJapan.Althoughthefacilitiesareoperating, performancehasbeenpoorwithmostoftheelectricityproducedrequiredtobeusedinternally. Economically,unitshavenotfaredwell.Formixedwaste,ifsignificantpreprocessingisrequired,the capitalandoperatingcostforthefrontendequipmentdrivesupthefacilitycost.Generallyefficiency andavailabilityhavebeenlowerthanforsomeothertechnologies.Ifthefacilityisdesignedtohandle onlylimitedwastestreamproducts,thesizeofthefacilityislimited,whichmakeseconomicsharderto achieve. Facilitieswillhavesomeofthesameairemissionsconsiderationsasmassburnfacilities.Unitsthatheat thefeedstockinanoxygendeficientenvironmentwouldproducelessNOx.Mercurywouldbeexpected tobelargelydrivenoffwiththegasandwouldhavetobedealtwithfromtheexhaustofthegas combustiondevice.Othermetalswouldlikelyremainwiththechar.

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Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacilityanddischargedzerodischargedesigncouldbedeveloped. Odourscouldbeanissuefromtheprocessingfacilityandresiduewillneedtobeaddressed.Theresidue fromtheprocessingcouldbelandfilledandcouldbeusedaslandfillcovermaterialinsomecases.Ash remainingaftercombustingthecharfromtheboilerfacilitywouldalsoneedtobelandfilled. ConclusionFortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven technologybasedonthefacilitiesoperatinginJapan.Thetechnologypresentseconomicriskdotoits relativelylimitedpowerproduction.Dependingonthesystememployed,anRDFmayneedtobe producedfromtheMSW.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodeliveryofthe materialtotherefusepit.Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnologywillbe includedontheshortlist.TheeconomicevaluationofTask7willidentifyfacilityeconomics.

3.8 Plasma Arc Gasification

Plasmaarcprocessingusesgraphiteelectrodestocauseanelectricalarcthroughthefeedstock.The temperaturewithinthearcisoftenstatedtobehotterthanthesurfaceofthesun.Insuchan environment,thefeedstockgasifies.AlowBtugasisgeneratedthatcould,withsomecleanup,be suitableforuseinagasturbine,engine,orboilerasafuelsource.Theremainingashandmetalwill liquefy,formingaslagandmetalmixture.Theslagcanthenbeseparatedfromthemetalwhenitis removedfromthearcvessel. Generallythegasificationprocessandphysicaldesignoftheunitsrequireapreparedfueltoremove muchofthelarger,inertmaterials(glass,metals,etc.)andtheremainingmaterialtobesizedtothe requirementsoftheunit.Otherunitsmightallowwastetobechargedwithoutmuchpreprocessing.The technologycanprocessnearlyallthepostrecycledwastestream. NooperatingfacilitiesexistinNorthAmerica.AprojectinOttawahasbeeninextendedstartupfor severalyears. FacilitiesoperateinJapan,mostnotablythreedevelopedbyHitachiMetals,inYoshii,Utashinai,and MihamaMikata.Thesefacilitiesarereferredtoasplasmadirectmeltingreactors.Thisissignificant owingtothedesireinJapantovitrifyashfrommassburnwastetoenergyfacilities.Manygasification facilitiesinJapanacceptashfromconventionalWTEfacilitiesforvitrification.Thefacilitiesareinmany casesintendedasashvitrificationfacilitiesratherthanenergyrecoveryfacilities.Thebenefitofthe vitrifiedashistobindpotentiallyhazardouselementstherebyrenderingtheashinert. AccordingtoanOctober2002presentationbytheWestinghousePlasmaCorporationtotheElectric PowerGeneratingAssociation,theYoshiifacilityaccepts24tonsperdayofunprocessedMSWtogether with4%cokeandproduces100kWhofelectricitypertonofMSW.Thefacilityalsoproducessteamfor ahotel/resortuse.Thisfacilitystartedoperationin2000. Accordingtothesamepresentation,theUtashinaifacilityprocesses170tpdofMSWandautomobile shredderresidue(ASR)togetherwith4%cokeandproduces260kWh/ton.Thisislessthanhalfthe energyproductionthatwouldbeexpectedofamassburnWTEfacility. Facilitieswillgenerallyhavesimilarairemissionsconsiderationsasothergasificationormassburn facilities.Mercuryandsomeothermorevolatilemetalsareexpectedbedrivenoffwiththegasand wouldhavetobedealtwithfromtheexhaustofthegascombustiondevice.Othermetalswillmelt,and theashwillbecomealiquidslagmaterial.Themetalsmightberecoverableandtheslagsolidifiedintoa

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glasslikematerial.Somewaterwillberequiredforthefacilityandazerodischargedesigncouldbe developed. ThetechnologyshouldbecapableofhandlingtheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1withrequired processingdependingonthefuelfeedsystemrequirements.Railroadtieswouldrequireshredding. ConclusionFortheentirewastestreamidentifiedinTask1thiswouldbeconsideredaproven technologybasedonthefacilitiesoperatinginJapan.Thetechnologypresentseconomicriskdotoits relativelylimitedpowerproduction.Dependingonthesystememployed,anRDFmayneedtobe producedfromtheMSW.Useoftherailroadtieswouldrequireshreddingpriortodeliveryofthe materialtotherefusepit.Theenvironmentalconcernscouldbeaddressed.Thistechnologywillbe includedontheshortlist.ThefacilityeconomicswillbeevaluatedinTask7.

3.9 Summary of Phase I Technologies Screening

Basedonthereviewcompletedabove,theresultsofthetechnologyevaluation/screeningare summarizedinthetablebelow.
Table 2: Summary of Technology Screening

Technology

Stateof Development Provenforselect WasteStream

Environmental Considerations Odourisprimary concern.Canbe addressed Emissions primaryconcern. APCequipment canmeet standards.

Risk

Applicabilityto thewaste Shortlist streamand quantities Maybeviable forSRManda portionofthe MSWidentified Yes

Anaerobic digestion

Limited

RDFprocessing andcombustion

Commercially proven

Entirewaste Limitedif stream combustion identifiedin islocated Task1ifRRties with areshredded processing Entirewaste stream identifiedin Task1ifRRties areshredded Notapplicable toidentified wastestreams Notapplicable toidentified wastestreams

Yes

Massburn combustion

Commercially proven

Emissionsare Limited primaryconcern. APCequipment canmeet standards. Notwelldefined High

Yes

Catalytic Laboratoryscale Depolymerization usingselect materials Hydrolysis

No

Noknown Notwelldefined commercialfacilities areinoperation usingmixedwaste

High

No

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Technology

Stateof Development Limitedcommercial development

Environmental Considerations

Risk

Applicabilityto thewaste Shortlist streamand quantities Couldbe appliedtothe wastestream identifiedin Task1. Entirewaste stream identifiedin Task1ifRRties areshredded Entirewaste stream identifiedin Task1ifRRties areshredded No

Pyrolysis

High Emissionsare primaryconcern. APCequipment canmeet standards. Emissionsare Some primaryconcern. economic APCequipment risk canmeet standards. Some Emissionsare primaryconcern. economic risk APCequipment canmeet standards.

Gasification

Limitedcommercial operationinJapan

Yes

PlasmaArc Gasification

Limitedcommercial operationinJapan

Yes

4.0 Short-List of Technologies

Thefollowingtechnologiesshouldbeconsideredforfurtheranalysis Anaerobicdigestion(limitedfeedstock) RDFprocessingandcombustion MassBurnCombustion Gasification PlasmaArcGasification

Priortorequestinganyproposalsorexpressionsofinterestfrompotentialvendors,theanalysisand evaluationshouldcontinue.Furtherstudyisneededtodeterminetheinfrastructurechangesthat wouldberequiredtocollectthenecessarytonnageanddeliverthematerialstoafacilityandfurther evaluationofenvironmentalrequirementsoftheshortlistedtechnologiesshouldbeundertaken. Additionaleconomicevaluationcouldbeusedtoidentifythetechnologiesmostlikelytobeviablegiven currentwastedisposalmarketconditionsinSouthernAlberta. Astheresearchprojectcontinues,thisshortlistoftechnologieswillbefurtherrefinedbasedonthe outcomeofsubsequenttasks.Thisshortlisthasbeendevelopedbasedoncurrentlyavailable informationforeachclassoftechnology.Shouldinthefuture,newinformationbecomeavailablewith respectaparticulartechnologythatwouldchangetheresultofthisevaluation(e.g.additional commercialoperationofatechnologythatclearlydemonstratesabilityoftechnologytomanageMSW), thesubjectclassoftechnologycouldbereevaluatedandpotentiallyincludedbackintotheproject.
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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

5.0 Next Steps

ThenextstepintheresearchprojectisthecompletionofPhase2activities.Phase2activitieswillresult intheidentificationofwastecollection,transportationandhandlingimplicationswithassociatedsiting opportunities;heatrecoveryandcogenerationoptions,includingpotentialmarket/sitingopportunities; anadditionallevelofdetailwithrespecttotheenvironmentalimplications(nowincluding transportationimpactsfromTask3),andthefacilitypermittingandsitingrequirements.Thisphasealso includesthedevelopmentofafutureprojectdevelopmentschedule.Eachofthetaskscompletedinthis phasewillthenbeutilizedinPhase3toassesstheeconomicandfinancialimplications.

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February 1, 2012

Appendix A Process Flow Diagrams

Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

AnaerobicDigestion
MSW

ExamplesofVendors
CCIBioEnergy,Inc.
Ecocorp

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Pre Processing

Digester 4050% ofFeedstock

Feedstock

1 3% ofMSWIn

MSW

Greenfinch MustangRenewable PowerVentures OrganicWaste Systems Urbaser(ValorgaInternational)

Receiving

1015% ofMSWIn

Separator

BioGas Processing Technology (seeA.6)

Liquid

Aerobic Composting

Compost

Solid
1525% ofFeedstock

FigureA.1 AnaerobicDigestion

Description: Anaerobicdigestion(orAD) isthe processofdecomposingthe solidorganicfractionofthe MSWstreaminanoxygendeficient environment.Ithasbeenextensivelyusedtodigestandstabilize sewage sludge andanimal manures,andhashadrecentapplication treatingSanitarySewerOverflow(orSSO).The ADprocessmayeitherbe awetordryprocessdependingonthe total solidscontentbeing treatedinthe reactionvessel.BothtypesofADprocessesinvolve the injectionofthe organicmaterial intoanenclosedvessel where microbesare usedtodecompose the waste toproduce aliquid,asoliddigestate material,andabiogasthatconsistsmainlyofmethane, water,andcarbondioxide (CO2).The resultinglowtomidenergy contentbiogascanbe utilizedinareciprocatingengine orgasturbine toproduce electricity,orcanbe compressedintoavehicle fuel.The remainingdigestate material,whichcanbe upto50%ofthe input dependingonthe type ofADprocessused,canbe treatedfurther(e.g.curedaerobically) toproduce acompostthatcanbe marketedasa soil amendment.The incomingmixedMSWorSSOwill require apre treatmentprocessthatinvolvesshredding,pulpingandseparationof the nondigestible fractionofthe waste stream.Inmanycases,thistechnologycanbe usedinconjunctionwithcomposting,mechanical biological treatment(MBT),orarefuse derivedfuel (RDF) process.
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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

RefuseDerivedFuel(RDF)Combustion
MSW
ExamplesofVendors
EnergyAnswers(EA) Dongara WestrocEnergy AmbientEcoGroup CobbCreations

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Receiving

Pre Processing

1 3%ofMSWIn Thermal Conversion Boiler

RDF

MSW

1015%ofMSW In

1520% ofMSWIn Turbine AirPollution Control

Steam

75 80%ofRDF toFlue Gasas ProductsofCombustion

SteamRecycle

Treated Flue Gas

Electricity

510%ofMSWIn

Stack

Exhaust

Figure A.2 Refuse DerivedFuel(RDF) Description: This technology prepares MSW by shredding, screening, and removing non combustible materials prior to additional processing. The goal of this technology is to derive a better, more homogenous, Refuse Derived Fuel (or RDF) that can be used in a more conventional solid fuel boiler as compared to a mass burn combustion waterwall boiler. The RDF process typically results in a fuel yield in the 80% to 90% range (i.e., 80 to 90 percent of the incoming MSW is converted to RDF). The remaining 10% to 20% of the incoming waste that is not converted to RDF is composed of either recovered ferrous metals (1 5%) which can be sold to market, or process residue (15% to 19%) that must be disposed of in a landfill. In most cases, the fuel is used at the same facility where it is processed, although this does not have to be the case. The RDF is blown or fed into a boiler for semi suspension firing. Combustion is completed on a traveling grate. Thermal recovery occurs in an integral boiler. The APC equipment arrangementforanRDFfacilitywouldbe similartothatofamass burncombustionsystem.
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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

TraditionalMassBurnCombustion
MSW
ExamplesofVendors
Large UnitTechnologies FisiaBabcock Keppel Seghers LaurentBouillet Martin(Covanta) Steinmueller Takuma Volund(withBabcock&Wilcox) VonRoll (Wheelabrator) Small/ModularUnitTechnologies Consutech EnerconSystems,Inc. LaurentBouillet PioneerPlus

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions 97 99%ofMSW In

Receiving

Thermal Conversion Boiler

7080%ofMSWto Flue Gas as Products ofCombustion

Residue Handling

Steam

MSW

Turbine

AirPollution Control

SteamRecycle

Treated FlueGas

Bottom Ash

Electricity

Metals

5 10%ofMSW In

1 3%ofMSW In 20 25%ofMSW In

Stack

Exhaust

Figure A.3 MassBurnCombustion Description: Mass Burn combustion technology can be divided into two main types: (a) grate based, waterwall boiler installations; and (b) modular, shop erected combustion units with shop fabricated waste heat recovery boilers. The modular units are typically limited to less than 200 tonnes per day and are historically used in facilities where the total throughput is under 500 tpd. In Mass Burn combustors, MSW is fed directly into a boiler system with no preprocessing other than the removal of large bulky items such as furniture and white goods. In the larger Mass Burn Combustion units, the MSW is typically pushed onto a grate by a ram connected to hydraulic cylinders. Air is admitted under the grates, into the bed of material, and additional air is supplied above the grates. The resulting flue gases pass through the boiler and the sensible heat energy is recovered in the boiler tubes to generate steam. In the smaller modular mass burn systems, MSW is fed into a refractory lined combustor where the waste is combusted on refractory lined hearths, or within a refractory lined oscillating combustor. The flue gases exit the combustors and enter a heat recovery steam generator, or waste heat boiler, where steam is generated by the sensible heat in the flue gas. In Mass Burn Combustion, four main streams are generated; steam, flue gas, bottom ash and fly ash. The steam is either sent to a steam turbine to generate electricity or it can be piped directly to an end user as process or district heating steam, or a combination of these uses. Mass burn technologies utilize an extensive set of air pollution control (APC) devices for flue gas clean up. The typical APC equipment used include: either selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or non catalytic reduction (SNCR) for NOx emissions reduction; spray dryer absorbers (SDA) or scrubbers for acid gas reduction; activated carbon injection (CI) for mercuryanddioxinsreduction;andafabricfilterbaghouse (FF) forparticulate andheavymetalsremoval.
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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

CatalyticDepolymerization
MSW
ExamplesofVendors
AlphaKat/KDV Covanta ChangingWorldTechnologies ConFuel K2 Enerkem GreenPowerInc

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Receiving

Pre Processing

MSW

Non Processable

2040%ofMSW In

13% ofMSW In

Feedstock

Processing Fluid

Catalyst Hydraulic Fluid

Reaction Turbine

Distillation

Fluid
20 30%Feedstock Desulphurization

DieselFuel

Fluid

Figure A.4 CatalyticDepolymerization

Southern Alberta Energy-from-Waste Alliance Energy-from-Waste Research Project

Description: Inacatalyticdepolymerizationprocess,the plastics,syntheticfibre componentsandwaterinthe MSWfeedstockreactwithacatalyst undernonatmosphericpressure andtemperaturestoproduce acrude oil.Thiscrude oil canthenbe distilledtoproduce asynthetic gasoline orfuel grade diesel.There are fourmajorstepsinacatalyticdepolymerizationprocess:Pre processing,ProcessFluidUpgrading, CatalyticReaction,andSeparationandDistillation.The Pre processingstepisverysimilartothe RDFprocesswhere the MSWfeedstockis separatedintoprocessresidue,metalsandRDF.Thisprocesstypicallyrequiresadditional processingtoproduce amuchsmallerparticle size withlesscontamination.The nextstepinthe processispreparingthisRDF.The RDFismixedwithwaterandacarrieroil (hydraulicoil) tocreate RDFsludge.ThisRDFsludge issentthroughacatalyticturbine where the reactionunderhightemperature andpressure produces alightoil.The lightoil isthendistilledtoseparate the syntheticgasoline ordiesel oil.Thiscatalyticdepolymerizationprocessissomewhat similartothatusedatanoil refinerytoconvertcrude oil intousable products.Thistechnologyismosteffective withprocessingawaste streamwithahighplasticscontentandmaynotbe suitable foramixedMSWstream.The needforahighplasticscontentfeedstockmay alsolimitthe size of the facility.

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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

Hydrolysis
MSW

ExamplesofVendors
Arkenol Fuels BioFine/KAME MasadaOxyNol

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Receiving

PreProcessing Drying
Feedstock

MSW

Non Processable

1530%ofMSWIn

13%ofMSWIn

10 15%ofMSWIn Hydrolysis Acid

Energy Recovery

Gypsum

Fermentation

Distillation

Ethanol

Stillage

FigureA.5 Hydrolysis

Description: The hydrolysisprocessinvolvesthe reactionofthe waterandcellulose fractionsinthe MSWfeedstock(e.g.,paper,foodwaste,yard waste,etc.)withastrongacid(e.g.,sulfuricacid) toproduce sugars.Inthe nextprocessstep,these sugarsare fermentedtoproduce an organicalcohol.Thisalcohol isthendistilledtoproduce afuel grade ethanol solution.Hydrolysisisamulti stepprocessthatincludesfour majorsteps:Pre treatment;Hydrolysis;Fermentation;andDistillation.Separationof the MSWstreamisnecessarytoremove the inorganic/inertmaterials(glass,plastic,metal,etc.)fromthe organicmaterials(foodwaste,yardwaste,paper,etc.).The organicmaterial isshreddedtoreduce the size andtomake the feedstockmore homogenous.The shreddedorganicmaterial isplacedintoareactorwhere itisintroducedtothe acidcatalyst.The cellulose inthe organicmaterial isconvertedintosimple sugars.These sugarscanthenbe fermentedandconvertedintoanalcohol whichisdistilledintofuel grade ethanol.The byproductsfromthisprocessare carbondioxide (fromthe fermentationstep),gypsum(fromthe hydrolysisstep)andlignin(noncellulose material fromthe hydrolysisstep).Since the acidactsonlyasacatalyst,itcanbe extractedandrecycledbackintothe process.
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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

Pyrolysis
MSW

ExamplesofVendors
CompactPower International Environmental Solutions Mitsui PKA SMUDATechnologies Thide Environmental UtahValleyEnergy WasteGenUK

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Receiving

PreProcessing

MSW

Non Processable

1020%ofMSWIn

13% ofMSWIn

Pyrolysis

8090%ofFeedstockConverted toSynGasand Oil

Oil GasCleaning
Chemical Byproducts

Residue Handling Engine

Electricity
Synthesis

SynGas

Chemicals

Residue

Exhaust

Metals

1020%ofFeedstock

01%ofFeedstock SynGas Processing Technology (seeFigureA.5)

FigureA.6 Pyrolysis

Description: Pyrolysisisgenerallydefinedasthe processof heatingMSWinanoxygendeficientenvironmenttoproduce acombustible gaseousorliquidproduct andacarbonrichsolidresidue.Thisissimilartowhatisdone toproduce coke fromcoal orcharcoal fromwood.The feedstockcanbe the entire municipal waste stream,but,insome cases,pre sortingorprocessingisusedtoobtainarefuse derivedfuel.Some modularcombustorsuse atwo stage combustionprocessinwhichthe firstchamberoperatesinalowoxygenenvironmentandthe combustioniscompletedinthe secondchamber. Similartogasification,once contaminantshave beenremovedthe gasorliquidderivedfromthe processcanbe usedinaninternal combustion engine orgasturbine orasafeedstockforchemical production.Generally,pyrolysisoccursatalowertemperature thangasification,althoughthe basicprocessesare similar.

Char

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Phase 1, Task 2: Combustion Technologies

Gasification
MSW
ExamplesofVendors
AdaptiveArc* AlterNRG* CompactPower Ebara Enerkem Geoplasma* IntegratedEnvironmental Technologies* NewPlanetEnergy PKA PlascoEnergyGroup* Primenery PyroGenesisCanada,Inc.* SilvaGas Startech* TaylorBiomassEnergy Technip Thermoselect

Legend
Input Equipment ProcessMaterial Revenue Generation Residual Conversions

Receiving

Pre Processing

Feedstock

MSW

10 25%ofMSW In 10 15%ofMSW In

1 3% ofMSW In Gasification

TypesofGasification FixedBed FluidizedBed MovingBed PlasmaArc(indicatedbya*)

7080%ofFeedstock converted to Syn Gas

Residue Handling

GasCleaning

ChemicalByproducts

Metals

Ash

0 1% ofFeedstock 10 20%ofFeedstock

Syn GasProcessing Technology (see Figure A.5)

SynGas

Figure A.7 Gasification

Description: Gasificationconvertscarbonaceousmaterial intoasynthesisgasorsyngascomposedprimarilyof carbonmonoxide andhydrogen. Followingacleaningprocesstoremove contaminantsthissyngascanbe usedasafuel togenerate electricitydirectlyinacombustion turbine orengine,orthe gascanbe firedinaboilertogenerate steamthatcanbe usedtogenerate electricity,forprocessusesor districtheating,oracombinationof both.The syngasgeneratedcanalsobe usedasachemical buildingblockinthe synthesisof gasoline ordiesel fuel.The feedstockformostgasificationtechnologiesmustbe preparedintoRDFdevelopedfromthe incoming MSW,orthe technologymayonlyprocessaspecificsubsetof waste materialssuchaswoodwaste,tires,carpet,scrapplastic,or otherwaste streams.SimilartoFluidizedBedCombustion,these processestypicallyrequire more frontendseparationandsize reduction,andresultinlowerfuel yields(lessfuel pertonne of MSWinput).The feedstockreactsinthe gasifierwithsteamand sometimesairoroxygenathightemperaturesandpressuresinareducing(oxygen starved) environment.The lowtomid Megajoule syngascanbe combustedinaboiler,orfollowingacleanupprocessagasturbine,orengine orusedinchemical refining. Of these alternatives,boilercombustionisthe mostcommon,butthe cycle efficiencycanbe improvedif the gascanbe processedin anengine orgasturbine,particularlyif the waste heatisthenusedtogenerate steamandadditional electricityinacombinedcycle facility.Industryexpertsgenerallyexpectthatthe flue gaswill be lowerinacidgases,combustiongases,organics,andmetals,but APCequipmentandsyngascleaningsystemswill still be required.The remainingashandcharproducedbythe syngasprocessmay be marketedasaconstructionbase,ordisposedof inalandfill if amarketdoesnotexist.
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