Scribd
Upload
16 views17 pages

Waste To Energy Systems - Past, Present and Future

The document discusses waste to energy systems, tracing their origins and historical trends since the first incineration plant in 1874. It highlights key influencers, current challenges, and advancements in technology, such as gasification and anaerobic digestion, while projecting future trends in bioenergy usage. The emphasis remains on the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling in waste management.

Uploaded by

klopienclaudia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
16 views17 pages

Waste To Energy Systems - Past, Present and Future

The document discusses waste to energy systems, tracing their origins and historical trends since the first incineration plant in 1874. It highlights key influencers, current challenges, and advancements in technology, such as gasification and anaerobic digestion, while projecting future trends in bioenergy usage. The emphasis remains on the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling in waste management.

Uploaded by

klopienclaudia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

Environmental

Sustainability

WASTE To energy
systems- past,
present and future

Amanda Balogun
Mphil Energy Technologies
University of Cambridge
Environmental
Sustainability

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
1. Explain the key influencers of the emergence of waste to energy
systems
2. Discuss the historical Waste to energy trends ( past vs Present )
3. Analyse the Challenges with its adoption
4. Discuss the possible future for Waste to energy trends
Environmental
Sustainability
What is Waste to Energy?

The steam is used to turn


turbines, producing electricity.

Ryan (2009)
Environmental
Sustainability

Where it all began?

In 1874, Alliott & Co. Ltd


thought of a solution to the
waste problem.
Environmental
Sustainability

The first Incineration plant (destructor) was built in Nottingham

Fourtane (2020) Cambridge Museum of Technology


Environmental
Sustainability

Key influencers of waste to Energy systems in the 70’s


● Waste disposal solutions became a priority
● Legislated tax incentives
● Tighter regulatory compliance
● Energy shortage in the 70’s
Environmental
Sustainability

The first commercial Waste to Energy plant was built by wheelabrator in 1975 (Ferraro,2007)
● Wheelabrator are still players in the industry
● WtE systems have an efficiency of 15-24%
Environmental
Sustainability
Historical trends ?

Since 1975, the World total energy supply by Biofuels has increased by 112.5% (IEA 2021)
Environmental
Sustainability

Challenges with waste to Energy systems

● Low efficiency levels


● High capital costs
Environmental
Sustainability

These challenges have led to the birth of new technologies

● Anaerobic digestion (44%)


● Gasification (60-75%)
● Fluidized bed technology (40%)
● Dendro Liquid Energy
● Thermal treatment on grate (86%)
● Hydrothermal Carbonisation
Environmental
Sustainability
The big question ?

What is the future of Waste to Energy?


Environmental
Sustainability

Modern bioenergy use rises to 100 EJ in 2050, meeting almost 20% of total energy needs
In a Net zero scenario.

1.IEA- Net zero by 2050- A road map for the Global Energy Sector
Environmental
Sustainability

Bio fuels have made tremendous progress in efficiency levels since 1975. Despite projections
made by the world bank and IEA in greater biofuel penetration levels, it is important to note
that the priority still remains to reuse, reduce and recycle

REUSE RELOVE RECYCLE REPURPOSE


Environmental
Sustainability

Summary

Throughout this lesson, we delved into waste to energy


systems, exploring their origins and the factors that have
driven their development. We examined key influencers,
including the growing need for innovativeRECYCLE waste
management techniques. Furthermore, we took a historical
journey, comparing past waste to energy technologies with
the advancements seen in the present, such as gasification.
The challenges associated with adopting waste to energy
systems were thoroughly discussed, shedding light on the
complexities faced in implementing these solutions. Looking
ahead, we also analyzed the potential future trends in waste
to energy.
Environmental
Sustainability

References

Ryan , V. (2009) Bio-Fuels- Burning Domestic Waste


Fourtane (2020) Cambridge Museum of Technology
Ferraro (2007) Wheelabrator Technologies
IEA (2021) Key world energy statistics 2021
IIEA- Net zero by 2050- A road map for the Global Energy Sector
Environmental
Sustainability

Additional resources

Waste-to-Energy: process explanation (2007) - YouTube

Varjani et al (2022) Sustainable management of municipal solid


waste through waste-to-energy technologies
Environmental
Sustainability

Thank
You

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy