Is Combustion of Plastics Desirable

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Is Combustion of Plastics Desirable?

• Bruce Piasecki, David Rainey, and Kevin Fletcher
• American Scientist July-August 1998
• Volume 86, pages 364-373
• Presented by Cameron Houts

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Overview

• Plastic Waste Facts
• 2 Advantages
• 2 Concerns
• Conclusions

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Plastic Waste

• 1993- Plastics accounted for 9 of garbage
• Three waste management options
• Recycle
• Landfills
• Combustion

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Power from Plastics

• 8 of plastic municipal solid waste burned
• 34 of energy from combustion
• Initial energy recovered in the form of
  electricity, steam, or heat
• Alternate energy source to burning fossil fuels

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Cleanliness of Combustion

• Less than 1 of carbon dioxide
• If all solid waste was burned, would only
  contribute 4 of total CO2 emissions
• But, there are some emission concerns

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Chlorine Emissions

• Polyvinyl Chloride, acidic gases, dioxins, and
  furans
• Emission levels are below current regulatory
  concern
• Plastics not only contributor
• Pollution controlling lime and activated carbon

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Heavy metals

• Cadmium and lead in ash and dust
• 99.7 of particulates can be removed through
  either
• Electrostatic precipitation
• Baghouses

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Future Advancements

• Reduction in amount of heavy metals in plastic
  production
• Changes in waste-to-energy industry
• Uses for by-products of solid-waste combustion

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Main Points

• Recoverable energy content making plastics
  suitable and valuable for combustion
• Combustion doesnt significantly add to
  greenhouse gases as other energy supplies
• Combustion control and post control can regulate
  chlorine and heavy metal emission

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Conclusion

• Combustion is much less harmful than popularly
  perceived
• Very economical
• Always downfalls- Citizens should hold high
  standards
• Waste-to-energy should remain an acceptable, even
  desirable, option for managing plastic wastes