LETTER TO EDITOR |
https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-11005-0012 |
Thermal Waste Treatment
1University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2,3Faculty of Civil Engineering, University Džemal Bijedić, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Corresponding Author: Mirsad Đonlagić, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, e-mail: mirsaddonlagi@yahoo.com
SUMMARY
Population growth and the development of society generate threateningly large amounts of waste. If nothing is done in terms of waste management, we are threatened with suffocation and denial of a healthy and ecologically clean environment.
In this paper, we will give general information about waste as well as waste management and try to point out possible solutions for waste disposal, volume reduction, and utilization of such treated waste.
The paper explains the general principles of thermal treatment of waste and presents the principles of operation of individual incinerators.
How to cite this article: Đonlagić M, Ivanković D, Ćatović F. Thermal Waste Treatment. Sci Arts Relig 2022;1(1):121-126.
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None
SAŽETAK
Rastom populacije i razvojem društva stvaraju se prijeteći velike količine otpada. Ukoliko se u smislu rješenja otpada ne uradi ništa prijeti nam gušenje i i uskraćivanje zdrave i ekološki čiste životne sredine.
U ovom radu date su opće informacije o otpadu kao i gospodarenju otpadom i prezentirana su neka uspješna i moguća rješenja odlaganja otpada, smanjivanja volumena kao i iskorištavanje tretiranog otpada.
U radu su objašnjenje opći principi termičke obrade otpada i prikazani principi rada nekoliko tipova spalionica.
Keywords: Economic analysis, Thermal treatment of waste, Waste, Waste incinerator, Waste management
Ključne riječi Otpad, Gospodarenje otpadom, Termička obrada otpada, Spalionica otpada, Ekonomska analiza
INTRODUCTION
Increasing waste accumulation is one of the key problems of today. Nevertheless, awareness of the need to address this very growing problem has not yet matured. For many, it is still an excuse that these are expensive technologies, but also the nonacceptance of the local population. The aim of this paper is to present in more detail the process of thermal treatment of waste as a key solution in the process of final waste disposal.
According to the Law on Waste of the Federation of BiH, everything that a person throws, things or objects, intends, or has to dispose of is considered waste. Waste itself is a direct consequence of economic growth and the growth of social standards, and therefore its quantity is a direct indicator of the development of a particular society. So the ratio of gross national income, which we take as a basic economic indicator, and the amount of waste is almost linear.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that not enough attention is paid to this issue, it becomes a big problem, and therefore it becomes a problem with landfills in our country. Landscaped landfills are really something that is present in small numbers of examples. It is very difficult to talk about the thermal treatment of waste for several reasons. Among them, the distrust of local communities, which do not fully accept the construction of both sanitary landfills and potential waste incinerators, dominates. This explanation can be found in a number of unfulfilled promises and “scams” committed by irresponsible individuals as well as insufficiently stimulating solutions.
However, the recent energy crisis, which has led to a complete re–examination of powerful strategies, not only in the EU but also in countries around the world, has in fact had a completely changed picture of needs, capacities, and opportunities to use everything that can help us produce the energy we need. Formerly discarded nuclear energy is now becoming the main goal in which energy needs will be met, and we should certainly add to this a stronger inclusion of renewable energy sources, especially those considered “out of focus” such as energy from solid waste. We consider it a very good process that will lead to greater energy independence, meet current goals and increased energy needs, energy diversification, reducing the amount and volume of waste before final disposal as the dominant factors in accepting this solution as a promising inevitability.
WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
By definition, waste is any object or substance that has such properties that we want to get rid of it. It is created by the actions of people both in the household and in industry. Let’s not forget that man is the only creature on the planet that produces waste.
They differ according to the place of origin as stated: municipal waste, technological waste, and hazardous waste is also generated in industry and services.1
STRATEGIC CONCEPT OF WASTE MANAGEMENT
The principles defined in the Waste Framework Directive (2006/12 / EC), (2008/98 / EC) and the EU Waste Management Strategy (Environmental Protection Act Art. 48) are very important for the planning process itself and can be summarized as:
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Principle of prevention
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Principle of recycling and reuse
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Principle of improving final disposal and monitoring.2
The implementation of these general objectives can only be implemented through the introduction of integrated waste management. Integrated waste management is considered a system that should provide mechanisms that will largely respect all aspects of the life of the product, from natural resources to its disposal as waste (Fig. 1).
According to this hierarchy, priority in waste treatment is given to activities for its avoidance and the lowest waste disposal procedures.
Within the complete waste management system, the following important procedures are represented, depending on the type, and properties of waste:
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Avoiding the formation of residues and reducing hazardous properties
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Collecting
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Waste valuation and reusable waste
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Separate collection
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Recycling
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Mechanical processing
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Incineration with and without energy recovery
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Pyrolysis
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Biological processing
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Thermal treatment
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Chemical treatment
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Final disposal of the remaining waste at the landfill with and without biogas production.
There is no single approach to waste management in the EU. Each country decides according to its own capabilities and needs. Certainly, the most desirable option is to avoid waste, which is not easy to do, but it can be said that it is actually reducing waste. Thus, the table shows several countries as examples of waste management (Table 1).3
Austria | Denmark | Slovenia | Croatia | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Recycling | 34.3% | 14% | 10% | 3.5% |
Biological processing | 21.7% | _ | 12% | 1% |
Heat treatment | 14.7% | 81% | _ | _ |
Disposal | 28.5% | 5% | 73% | 95.5% |
Hazardous waste treatment | 0.8% | _ | _ | _ |
Source: Thermal treatment of waste, M. Grčić, University of Karlovac, 2017
THERMAL WASTE TREATMENT
In the complex conditions imposed by the energy crisis, which will be even more complex in the future, waste treatment is an opportunity to make all possibilities available for obtaining energy from various sources in the transition of waste into energy. In modern society, the amount of waste whose origin is different is growing. The amount of waste is growing in household, individual and collective consumption as well as in the production of consumer goods. The collection of waste and garbage from households, public areas and industry is an organized effort of people and the intention to protect their environment. Usable raw materials can be returned to the reproduction cycle according to appropriate technological procedures. On the other hand, most waste has fuel properties and has a significant heat value that is released from waste incineration and can be used to generate heat energy.4
INCINERATION
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic materials in waste materials. Incineration is a process that reduces the volume of waste by over 90%. This is certainly a large estimate which greatly facilitates and simplifies the final disposal of the remnants of the combustion process. Types of incinerators are determined and dimensioned depending on the type of waste and the region or city where the waste is collected.
If smaller incinerators are used, it is usually the incineration of medical waste, animal waste, and incinerator of industrial waste.
The pictures below give examples of two incinerators. One is in Spittal (Vienna which produces energy from municipal waste which is used for heating, while the other is in Japan in the city of Osaka (Fig. 2), where it is used for electricity production).
The incinerator in Spittal (Fig. 3) was built between 1969 and 1971 and in the fire in the year 1987 parts of the incineration plant were destroyed. Instead of demolishing, the incinerator was built on the same site. The new incinerator plant was completed in 1992. The Maishima waste incineration plant was built in response to the increase in waste volumes and the growing problem of permanent storage. In order to influence the rise of awareness of the need for waste disposal and the confidence of the surrounding population in both cases, the designer of the incinerator was the world-famous painter and architect Friedrich Hundertwasser.
Modern incinerators of this type are two chamber incinerators, in which waste is incinerated in the primary chamber under controlled conditions, and the flue gas is conducted to the secondary chamber where it is kept for a certain time at very high temperatures to decompose the flue gas components.
Such incinerators can be mobile, with equipment for independent work in the field (equipped with their own energy source), or stationary.3
The figure above (Fig. 4) shows the energy balance of the incinerator, where the distribution of energy is presented, ie where and in what ways the energy is lost in the overall process. The net heat is 479,000 MWh, while the total energy from burning 252,607 tons of waste is 665,300 MWh, which means that over 70% of energy is for outdoor use.5,6
It is necessary to point out that before any activities in the transition to any of the selected solid waste management systems, it is necessary to completely rehabilitate the existing infrastructure of the current method of disposal. This means, first of all, transforming existing landfills into sanitary ones. The next step is to transform the waste collection and transport system. In this case, it means not only the technical renovation of the utilities, but also a completely new waste collection system based not only on experience but on data on the amount and composition of waste in different zones.7
MYT WASTE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES WITH ENERGY PRODUCTION
Maximum recovery technology- MYT—extracts the maximum energy from raw materials, potentially generated from household waste. MYT technology is an innovative technology for the utilization of energy from household waste. MYT seeks to exploit the full potential of the raw material and convert it into an energy form that can be used for other purposes (heat and electricity). The process diagram shows the use of MYT technology in several steps (Figs 5 and 6).
The Kalenberg Association for Waste Treatment (ZAK- Zweckverband Abfallbehandlung Kahlenberg) built biogas plant in 2010 for electricity generation. The plant is located in Ringsheim (Figs 7 and 8).
Waste is accepted in the hall, after what the triage follows. This is followed by mechanical pretreatment, which breaks down the waste into smaller fractions. Subsequently, the prepared waste is biologically treated (optimization for the next step—drying process and separation of biological material and biogas production). The biological drying procedure follows. Picture of the plant in the Ringsheim factory (Figs 9–11).8,10
In this paper some examples of successful waste incineration solutions are presented. Good results are reflected in efficiently organized waste collection, optimal treatment, thermal treatment and end use, whether for thermal energy or electricity production. Certainly, the “friendly attitude” toward the surrounding environment as well as the acceptance from the local population was contributed not only by an efficient technical solutions, without environmental contamination, but also by the architectural design and by landscaping with trees and flowers and even animals moving freely around the plant as a sign of balance with the surrounding environment.
When it comes to waste treatment and energy production, as well as volume reduction in the final stage of the process, it must be pointed out that all these solutions are not cheap. This is true if only the financial aspects of the construction and technology are considered, but all other positive effects starting from the reduction of waste load of our living space, as well as production of useful energy and other by products, present valuable and longlasting solutions for preserving the healthier environment.
REFERENCES
1. What you need to know about waste, Ministry of Physical Planning and Environmental Protection of Sarajevo Canton.
2. Community Strategy for Waste Management COM (96) 399 final – EU Council Resolution of 24 February 1997 on the Waste Management Strategy of Individual Communities, 2011.
3. Thermal treatment of waste, M Grčić, University of Karlovac, 2017.
4. Energy and Environment, M Đonlagić, book, published by Printcom Tuzla, 2001.
6. https://hr.legaltechnique.org/articles/dizajn-i-arhitektura/shedevr-promishlennoj-arhitekturi-bull-novosti-v-fotografiyah.html
7. Martin Waste-To-Energy Tecnology, 2012/ Johanes JE Martin, Ralf Koralowska, Sustainability Science and Technology, Springer, New York, 2012.
8. Đonlagić, M Renewable Energy Sources / Study on Renewable Energy Sources in BiH /, Published by the Center for Ecology and Energy, 2010.
9. Suljić N, Production of electricity from solid waste, Master’s thesis, Tuzla 2014.
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