Energy recovery from municipal solid waste - the environmental perspective

English. not to mention that EfW also provides a viable means of energy recovery in the form of power and heat. Other recoverable meterials include fly ash and bottom ash that can be used for construction or road base materials, and scrap metals that can be diverted to steel mills for recycling. EfW facility has its associated environmental hazards. Typical pollutants formed during the incineration of MSW are particulates, oxides of nitrogen (NO subscript x), carbon monoxide (CO), acid gases such as HF and HCl, dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDF) and heavy metals. However, an optimally designed EfW facility, complete with the installation of pollution control system, should be able to lminimise the production of pollutants during the combustion process and the subsequent release of such substances to the environment via gaseous emissions, wastewater and ash residues. This paper addresses four environmental perspectives associated with an EfW facility, viz. waste materials, energy recovery, gaseous emissions and wastewater/ash residues. Some foreign experience, especially those in the developed countries, in making an EfW a success are also presented.

English. As the population increases exponentially in most of the major cities in many countries, the handling and disposal of MSW in these cities is of great challenge to the local municipalities. Thus the need for proven technologies, coupled with pollution control system to be employed, for the integrated solid waste management is significant. Incineration with energy recovery, commonly termed as Energy-from-Waste (EfW) or Waste-to-Energy (WTE) us a viable option for MSW management in urban areas where land is scarce. It could perhaps be the only solution for MSW management in the densely populated cities in many Asian countries. EfW does not only reduce the volume and weight of waste, it also reduces the toxic, degradable and leachable contents of the waste to inert materials which is safe for landfill