General Overview of Landfill Disposal Practices and Conversion Technologies

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Zero Waste Solutions Conversion Technologies
Shapoor Hamid, PhD URS Corporation November 19,
2008
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PresentationOverview

• Conversion Technologies
• Thermal Conversion
• Biological Conversion
• Other - Hybrid Conversion
• Environmental Issues
• Energy Production
• Key Cost and Revenue Variables
• Benefits of Conversion Technologies
• Challenges to Implementation

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The Basic Conversion Process Consists of Three
Systems
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2
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Pre- Processing
Conversion Technology
Electricity, Fertilizer or Chemicals
MSW
Separated/Recyclable Materials
By-products Residuals
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Thermal Conversion Technologies

• Can treat both organic and carbon-based
  (plastic) materials using higher temperatures
  (gt750 F). Typically more efficient to generate
  electricity and has a lower volume of residual
  byproducts than biological technologies. In other
  countries, these residuals are reused that makes
  the system virtually zero waste

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Types of Thermal Conversion Technologies

• Gasification
• Pyrolysis
• Pyrolysis/Gasification
• Plasma Gasification

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Gasification

• Thermal conversion of organic materials at
  1,400-2,500F, and with a limited supply of
  oxygen, producing a syngas
• The syngas (primarily H2 and CO) can be used as a
  fuel to produce electricity
• Inorganic materials are converted to bottom ash
  or slag

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Gasification Process
Clean Syngas
Emissions
Syngas CO H2
Power Generation
Emission Control System
Water Quenching
Biomass Pre-processing
Gasification
1,400-2,300F
Air/O2
Ash/Slag
Recyclables
Electricity
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Kawaguchi Gasification 400 tpd Facility (Japan)
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Pyrolysis

• Thermal degradation of organic materials using an
  indirect, external source of heat, at
  750-1,650F, in the absence or almost complete
  absence of free oxygen, producing syngas or
  liquid fuel
• The syngas (primarily H2 and CO) or liquid fuel
  can be used to produce electricity
• Byproducts are carbon char, silica, metals, and
  inorganic materials

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MSWPyrolysis Process
Air Emission Control
MSW Pre- processing
Recyclables
Thermal Oxidizer
750-1,650F
Syngas CO H2 Or Liquid
Power Generation
Pyrolytic Converter
Refining
Condenser
Carbon Char, Silica, Metals
Electricity
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MSW Pyrolysis FacilityBurgau (Germany)
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Pyrolysis/Gasification

• Thermal degradation of organic materials using
  Pyrolysis to produce syngas and carbon char as
  solid byproduct
• The byproduct (carbon char) is going through
  gasification process to produce additional syngas
  

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Pyrolysis/Gasification 330 tpdThermoselect
Facility in Chiba, Japan
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Plasma Gasification
Uses AC or DC electricity to produce an ionizing
gas (plasma) at 6,000-10,000oF and gasify the
MSW
Utashinai City, Japan Plasma Gasification 100,000
tons/year
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BiologicalConversion Technologies
Can decompose organic materials by biodegradation
using low temperatures (lt400 F). Typically has
a higher volume of residual byproduct than
thermal technologies.
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Anaerobic Digestion

• Microbes convert MSW into useful products
• Compost a useful soil amendment
• Biogas a clean, renewable fuel
• Requires careful MSW prescreening to ensure a
  clean compost

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Valorga 140 tpd Facility In Freiburg, Germany
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MSW to Fuel Ethanol

• Step 1 cellulosic wastes like waste paper can be
  hydrolyzed to sugar
• Step 2 this sugar can then be fermented into
  dilute ethanol
• Step 3 finally, the dilute ethanol can be
  distilled and processed into fuel ethanol

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Some Other Conversion Technologies

• Syngas-Ethanol gasify waste, ferment synthesis
  gas to ethanol, distill to fuel grade, sell
  electricity and ethanol pilot stage
• Biodiesel process fatty waste into a diesel-like
  fuel

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Conversion Technologies Commercialization Status
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EnvironmentalIssues

• Air Emissions
• Thermal Conversion Latest emission
• control systems
• Biological Conversion Little impact
• low temperature process (lt400 F)
• Water Discharges Minimal issue
• Solid Waste Mostly recyclable or
• compost

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Energy Production100,000 tpy MSW Processed

• Thermal 7 10 MW
• Biological 1.2 3.0 MW
• Efficiency
• Thermal 650 900 kWh/ton
• Biological 100 250 kWh/ton

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Key Cost RevenueVariables

• Cost of Siting and Permitting
• Capital Cost
• OM Cost
• Tipping Fee
• Incentives for Conversion Facilities
• Sale of Recyclables
• Sale of Electricity
• Sale of By-products

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Benefits of Conversion Technologies

• Reduced Carbon (Greenhouse Gas) Emissions
• Increased Recycling
• Lower Air Emissions
• Offsets Fossil Fuels
• Beneficial Use of Residuals
• Renewable Energy
• Environmental Sustainability

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Challenges ToImplementation

• Lack of Technology Understanding
• Air Emissions
• Variation in Designs
• Lack of Regulatory Clarity
• Funding/Financing Hurdles
• No Operating CT Facilities in the U.S. Processing
  MSW