Ecologically Sound, Cost-Effective Energy

Waste to energy (WtE) is a vital part of a strong and sustainable waste management chain. Fully complementary to recycling, it is an economically and ecologically sound way to provide a renewable source for energy while diverting waste from landfills. 

WtE technology has been developed and proven around the globe, including:

• 100 plants in North America,
• 500 in Europe
• and 1,600 in Asia.

A WtE plant converts solid waste into electricity and/or heat - an ecological, cost-effective way of energy recovery.
 
A waste-to-energy (or energy-from-waste) plant converts municipal and industrial solid waste into electricity and/or heat for industrial processing and for district heating systems – an ecologically sound, cost-effective means of energy recovery. The energy plant works by burning waste at high temperatures and using the heat to make steam. The steam then drives a turbine that creates electricity.

Energy-from-waste is a way to recover valuable resources
 
Energy from waste (EfW) isn’t just a trash disposal method. It’s a way to recover valuable resources.

Today, it is possible to reuse 90% of the metals contained in the bottom ash. And the remaining clinker can be reused as road material. 

The results and benefits are proven:

• Avoids methane emissions from landfills
• Offsets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel electrical production
• Recovers/recycles valuable resources, such as metals
• Produces clean, reliable base-loaded energy and steam
• Uses less land per megawatt than other renewable energy sources
• Sustainable and steady renewable fuel source (compared to wind and solar)
• Destroys chemical waste / conventional HAPs
• Results in low emission levels, typically well below permitted levels
• Catalytically destroys NOx, dioxins and furans using an SCR

High efficiency and low emissions

Waste to energy is one of the most robust and effective alternative energy options to reduce CO₂ emissions and replace fossil fuels.

Approximately 2/3 of household waste is categorized as biomass. Therefore, we can recover 2/3 as CO₂-neutral energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

In Europe, 50 million tons of waste is converted into valuable energy through WtE technology, supplying 27 million Europeans with electricity. Still, 50% of municipal solid waste becomes landfill. This releases greenhouse gasses like methane which is 21 times more powerful than CO₂. Our WtE technology eliminates these emissions.

Our goals are two-fold: to maximize production and efficiency to meet energy needs, and to reduce our environmental footprint. 

Waste facts

• 4 tons of waste equals 1 ton of oil
• 2 tons of waste equals 1 ton of coal

Mass-Burn or Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF)
B&W provides two boiler options when using waste as a combustion fuel. Mass burning municipal solid waste uses the refuse in its as-received, unprepared state. The second technique uses prepared refuse, or refuse-derived fuel (RDF), where the as-received refuse is first separated, classified and reclaimed in various ways to yield salable or otherwise recyclable products. The remaining material is prepared for firing in the boiler.

Combustion Technologies
B&W Vølund DynaGrate® pivoting combustion grate and Precision Jet® overfire air system are advanced designs that provide environmental benefits during combustion:

• Destroy dioxins and furans
• Minimize formation of NOx and CO
• Minimize unburned carbon