Waste-to-energy conversion market getting higher importance

The consumption habits of modern man are the main reason behind the huge waste problems which we face now.
The conversion of these rejected matters to energy is becoming one of the most important solutions for integrated waste management. This has become the top news renewable energy. A report based on this was recently published by Frost & Sullivan, the global energy market experts. Even though the incentives given for setting up waste-to-energy plants are very less, the capital investment needed for launching these facilities are very high, in spite of the low cost of electricity. According to the analysis conducted by Frost & Sullivan waste-to-energy market collected an average of $65.2 million in 2007, and experts foresee an annual growth of 10.5 percent between the years 2007 and 2014. The non-availability of space and increasing volume of waste materials have made many countries think seriously about cost-effective and helpful methods to tackle waste.

Waste-to energy production will lessen the pressure of proper disposal of waste materials. In spite of the predictable growth, the industry faces major challenges like public health, odor and pollution.

Environmentalists are not in favor of the combustion of any waste material. The concerns related to the emissions of dangerous fumes and disposal of ash are a few aspects pointed out by environmentalists.

Researchers are going on to develop environmental friendly methods for waste-to-energy conversion.

[Sparty]

Hi,
Interesting post. Are you talking about collecting methane from garbage dumps, or burning waste for boilers or the new plasma technologies?

I'd like to hear more....

I do note that quite a lot of research and actual commercial success seems to have been achieved...

"Nowadays, waste-to-energy plants based on combustion technologies are highly efficient power plants that utilize municipal solid waste as their fuel rather than coal, oil or natural gas. Far better than expending energy to explore, recover, process and transport the fuel from some distant source, waste-to-energy plants find value in what others consider garbage. Waste-to-energy plants recover the thermal energy contained in the trash in highly efficient boilers that generate steam that can then be sold directly to industrial customers, or used on-site to drive turbines for electricity production. WTE plants are highly efficient in harnessing the untapped energy potential of organic waste by converting the biodegradable fraction of the waste into high calorific value gases like methane. The digested portion of the waste is highly rich in nutrients and is widely used as biofertilizer in many parts of the world."

"According to the Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP), Europe currently treats 50 million ton of wastes at waste-to-energy plants each year, generating an amount of energy that can supply electricity for 27 million people or heat for 13 million people. Upcoming changes to EU legislation will have a profound impact on how much further the technology will help achieve environmental protection goals."