Waste-to-energy

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Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) in its strictest sense refers to any waste treatment that creates energy in the form of electricity or heat from a waste source that would have been disposed of in landfill, also called energy recovery.

[edit] Waste-to-energy and incineration

Main article incineration

Waste-to-energy has become synonymous with incineration. Modern incinerators are vastly different from the old dirty incinerator, and efficiently burn waste in modern boiler furnaces, capturing the released heat to make steam and electricity. Modern incinerators can also reduce the volume of the original waste by 90%, depending upon composition and use of outputs[citation needed]. Unlike the older designs, modern incinerators incorporate air pollution control systems and continuous emissions monitors.

Modern incinerators are considered to be sources of partly renewable energy by the USA federal government and 15 USA states that have established renewable energy programs[citation needed]. Also some European countries that have established renewable energy programs consider energy production through incineration as renewable [citation needed]. However others, such as the UK, do not consider incineration to be renewable because plastics originate from non-renewable fossil fuels.

[edit] Energy from waste in other technologies

There are a number of other new and emerging technologies that are able to produce energy from waste without burning the waste directly. These technologies are considered to generate renewable energy and are widely perceived to be more publicly acceptable.

Thermal technologies:

Non-thermal technologies:

[edit] See also


Topics related to waste management edit
Anaerobic digestion | Composting | Incineration | Landfill | Mechanical biological treatment | Radioactive waste | Recycling | Sewerage | Waste | Waste collection | Waste sorting | Waste hierarchy | Waste management | Waste management concepts | Waste legislation | Waste treatment technology