MunicipalSolidWasteProcessingandRecycling

CBE3319IntroductiontoPlantSafetyandDesign
ProfessorPrakash

DepartmentofChemicalandBiochemicalEngineering

February28,2017

NicoleNewhouse 250775786 nnewhou@uwo.ca

McKenzieWalker 250799457 mwalk5@uwo.ca
EmilyZakoor 250785489 ezakoor@uwo.ca
Abstract
Anoverviewofthemunicipalsolidwasteprocessingandrecyclingmarkettrendsand

demandsreflectthatthedemandforproperdisposalisgrowinginCanada.Accompaniedwith

the growing demand is the need for a more environmentally sustainable processing system.

Differentmethodsforachievingthisarereviewed,withemphasisonthewastetoenergyprocess

calledgasification.Feedcharacteristicsandsynthesischemistryfortheproductionofsyngas

fromthemunicipalsolidwastearereviewed.Theimplementationofgasificationprocessesis

assessedusingblockflowdiagrams.Thisdiagramshows thebasicstepsneededtoproduce

energyandsyngas.Theprocesssafety,costefficiency,andenvironmentalimpactofthissystem

isanalyzedfurtherinthereport.Thefeasibilityofimplementinggasificationsystemsincurrent

landfillswillbediscussedinthelaterreport.
ExecutiveSummary
Over the past 200 years, the means of municipal solid waste processing (MSW) and
recyclinghavebeentransformedtoavarietyofpreciseandsystematicmethodsbywhichwe
abidetoday.Itwaswiththeurbanizationofcitiesinthe1800s,andthereoccurringoutbreakof
manyillnessesthatfollowed,thatcreatedademandforamoreeffectiveandsanitarymeansof
disposingofsolidwaste.Currentlythereexistsavarietyofwellengineeredmethodspertaining
to recycling, composting, wastetoenergy, and disposal by which municipalities are able to
adopt.Heavyregulationsandlegislationdictatethewaymunicipalitiesareabletotransport,
organize, and dispose of solid waste in order to create a sanitary environment as well as
preservingthelocalecosystems.
CurrenttrendsinregardstoMSWprocessinghavebeengainingpopularityoverthepast
fewdecades,andsustainableaswellasenvironmentallyfriendlyapproachesarecurrentlybeing
promotedbymanygovernmentorganizationsandcompaniestoattainacompetitiveadvantagein
termsofconsumersupport.Zerowastecampaignsamongotherpoliciesarenowpavingtheway
forthefutureofMSWprocessing.Manyofsuchcampaignsutilizethermalwastetoenergy
methods when it comes to disposing of domestic waste. As highlighted within this report,
gasificationisathermaltechnologyinwhichsolidwasteisheatedtoveryhightemperatures
wherecarbonmonoxideandhydrogenbyproductsarereleased.Unlikeotherthermalprocesses,
gasificationutilizesalimitedamountofoxygeninordertoreducetheamountofharmfulgasses
releasedwithintheprocess.Thesyngascanthenbestoredandcombustedatalatertimetocreate
sourcesofenergy.Hydrogencanbeconvertedtomethaneinaprocessknownasmethanationas
a source of fuel energy, whereas carbon dioxide is common in producing electrical energy.
Currently gasification is one of the most innovative and efficient methods of reducing the
volumeofwastedisposedofinlandfillsinadditiontocreatingavarietyofusefulsourcesof
energy.
ThescopeofthisreportwillcoverNorthAmericanmunicipalmethodsof:
Recycling/Composting
Disposal
WastetoEnergy
Specifically comparing the incineration process seen within the disposal category to that of
gasificationinwastetoenergy.Anemphasisonthedifferenceofchemicalprocesseswillbe
depictedbetweenthetwoandtheprocessesarealsotoberelatedwiththeconsiderationsof
environmentalimpacts,processsafetyandrisk,efficiency,andflexibility.
 Table of Contents
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................2
ExecutiveSummary.......................................................................................................................3
1.Introduction................................................................................................................................5
1.1Background........................................................................................5
1.2MunicipalSolidWasteProcesses.................................................................7
i. Recycle........................................................................................................... 7
ii. Disposal.......................................................................................................... 8
iii. Compost.......................................................................................................... 9
iv. Wastetoenergy................................................................................................. 9
2.MarketAssessment..................................................................................................................11
2.1CurrentTrends...................................................................................11
i. CurrentRegulations.......................................................................................... 12
ii. HurdlestoImprovement..................................................................................... 13
2.2FutureTrends....................................................................................14
i. Zerowaste..................................................................................................... 14
ii. ExtendedProducerResponsibility.......................................................................15
iii. IntegratedResourceRecovery............................................................................15
3.GasificationSynthesisChemistry...........................................................................................16
3.1FeedstockandGeneralChemistry..............................................................16
i. Gasificationvs.Pyrolysis...................................................................................16
ii. ATTvs.Incineration........................................................................................ 17
3.2ChemicalReactions..............................................................................17
3.3Catalysis..........................................................................................18
4.ProcessOverview.....................................................................................................................19
4.1BlockFlowDiagram.............................................................................19
4.2ProcessDescription..............................................................................20
i. SyngasProduction........................................................................................... 20
ii. SyngasCombustion.......................................................................................... 21
iii. ProcessSafety,Environmental,CostandEfficiencyConsiderations............................21
5.Conclusion................................................................................................................................22
References.....................................................................................................................................24

Figures
Figure1:IncinerationBlockDiagram...........................................................................................19
Figure2:GasificationSafetyManagementSystem......................................................................21

Tables
Table1:LargestWasteManagementCompaniesinNorthAmerica............................................11
Table2:TopCompaniesinWastetoEnergyProductioninCanada............................................13
1.Introduction

1.1Background

Municipal solid waste processing and recycling is the means by which municipalities

transport,organize,andtreattheeverydayitemswhicharediscardedbythepublic.Standardsby

whichweareabletoprocessdomesticwasteareheavilyregulatedtoensuresafeandproper

sanitationpractices,andasaresultthenumberoflandfillsinNorthAmericahasbeenreduced

fromapproximately20000in1970tounder2000todate.Thoughthesignificantdecreaseinthe

numberoffillswouldappeartobearespectablestepintermsconservingtheenvironment,the

sizeoftheselandfillsareknowntohavebeenincreasingatanunsustainablerate;someofthe

largestlandfillsinNorthAmericareceiveupto8300tonsofgarbageperday(Parten,2010).

Productionofharmfulgreenhousegasesandleachateposelargethreatstotheenvironment,and

while methods such as recirculation and trapping exist (used to maximize the rate of

decompositionwhileminimizingmethanegasemissions),suchprocessessteeplyincreasethe

costs associatedwiththeprivatelyownedwastesectors,andthereforealternativeoptions to

dumpingmustbeexplored.

Theestablishmentofamunicipalsolidwastesystemisamongthecategorieswhichseparate

adevelopedcountryfromanunderdevelopedone.Manyunderdevelopedcountriesareknownto

burnordump their waste intoan openarea orbodyofwaterwheretoxins canpollutethe

environment,harmtheecosystem,andposelongtermhealthissuestothepeopleinhabitingthe

area.Itwasntuntiltheearly1800sinNorthAmericathatasystemformunicipalsolidwaste

wasdevelopeditself.Theurbanizationofcitiestriggeredreoccurringoutbreaksofcholeraand

diphtheria which created a need for improved efforts in regards to public health and the
environment.Itwasntuntilaftertheframeworkforbothwaterandwastewatertreatmentwere

establishedthatasystemfortreatingmunicipalsolidwastewasdeveloped.Theinventionof

vehiclesrevolutionizedthetreatmentofwaste.Transportationwasnoweasilyaccessible,and

waste treatment was transformed again within the industrial revolution where engineered

sanitarylandfillsandincineratorswereimplemented.

Thechangeincompositionofwastearoundtheindustrialrevolutionmeantthatlessorganic

wastewasbeingdisposedofandmoreglass,plastics,andmetalswereendingupinlandfills;

manyofsuchproductscontainedhazardoussubstanceswhendegraded.Regulationsthatcalled

fortheclosureofmanymunicipaldumpsinthelate1980screatedagarbagecrisisacross

North America. Private companies took over the industry, and at the same time, local

governmentswereseentohaveincreasedpublicinvestmentinrecyclingcollectionprogramsin

attempts to sway the flow of waste to landfills. Due to consumer protests, companies like

McDonalds eliminated the use of polystyrene packaging while Pepsi and CocaCola

implementedtheuseofrecycledplasticintheproductionofbottles.Intheyear2014intheUS,

approximately 66.4 million tons of MSW were recycled (25.6%), 23 million tons were

composted(8.89%),33.1milliontonswerecombustedwithenergyrecovery(12.8%)and136

million tons were landfilled (52.6%). (EPA, 2016). These percentage values match that of

Canadawithinacouplepercentiledifference.

Duetothethreatofpollutiontotheenvironment,thereexistsahierarchyrankingstrategyin

whichmunicipalitiesaretoprioritizemethodsofdealingwithwasteasshowninFigure1.The

initialandhighestpriorityofthissystemisultimatelytoavoidandreducewasteasawhole.This

is accomplished mainly through asocietal influence and awareness when supporting certain
companies and selecting certain goods; as well as being conscious of products which are

recycled,recyclable,repairable,refillable,orbiodegradable.Whenavoidingwasteisnolonger

possible,oneissubjecttothenextsectionofthehierarchy,ofwhichpertainstorecovering

resources,recycling,reprocessing,aswellasenergyrecoveryfromtheMSW.Wastetoenergy

methodsarethelastresortonthehierarchypriortotheleastpreferablesection,thisbeingthe

ultimatedisposalofwasteviaincinerationorinlandfills.

Thereareavarietyofdifferenttypesofwastethatmaybeseenwithinourgarbagesystems;

thesevaryinggreatlyfrommunicipalitytomunicipalityandallmustbedealtwithinadifferent

manner.Typesofwastesareorganizedunderthefollowingcategories:biodegradablewaste,

recyclablematerials,inertwaste,electricalandelectronicwaste,compositewaste,hazardous

waste,toxicwaste,andlastlybiomedicalwaste.Specificwaysinwhichmunicipalsolidwaste

canbetreatedincludemethodsofcomposting,disposal,andwastetoenergy.

1.2MunicipalSolidWasteProcesses

i. Recycle

Recyclingisthemostcrucialstepinreducingtheamountofdomesticwastethatisdisposed

ofbymunicipalities.Thoughmanydifferentmethodsofrecyclingexist,thetwowhichcurrently

dominateNorthAmericaareknownassinglestreamanddualstreamrecycling.Dualstream

recyclingisaprocessinwhichthefibercomponents(paperandcardboard)areinitiallyseparated

fromotherrecyclablesinattemptstoreducecontaminationandspoilageofmaterials.Single

stream differs in that it allows for all recyclables to be mixed together for pickup. This is

desirableasitcutscollectioncostsandencouragespublicinvolvement,howeveritoftenrequires
alotofmanpoweronthesortingendanditcanbecomedifficulttodifferentiatematerials.New

innovativetechnologysuchastheGreenMachinehasrevolutionizedthemethodofsinglestream

recycling.Suchmachinesutilizepneumatictransportlines,screens,magnets,opticalscanners,

eddycurrentsystems,andballisticairseparatorstoquicklyandefficientlyseparateandsort

differentmaterials.Oncesortedandcleaned,materialsarecompactedandshippedtodomestic

and or overseas markets where the materials may bereprocessed and transformed into new

products(GreenMachine,2016).Notonlyisthisafastandeffectivewaytosortrecyclable

materials,themachinesultimatelydecreasecostsassociatedwiththeindustryaslesspeoplewill

berequiredtosortandorganizeincomingmaterials.

ii. Disposal

Universalmethodsconcerningthedisposalofsolidwastecurrentlyincludeopenburning,

dumpingintothesea,ploughinginfields,hogfeeding,grindinganddischargingintosewers,

sanitarylandfills,incineration,aswellasfermentationandbiologicaldissection.Mostofthese

methodshaveregulations heavilyrulingthemoutasenvironmentallyacceptablemethodsof

wastedisposal,howeverinmanypartsoftheworldthesemethodsmaystillbeseeninpractice.

InNorthAmerica,themostcommonmethodofdisposalisknownassanitaryorengineered

landfills. Sanitary landfilling of solid wastes is a simple, cheap, and effective method of

disposingifwastewhichgivenaspecificoperatinglifespanshouldovertimecompletelydegrade

biologically,chemically,andphysically. Insuchfills,adeeptrenchisexcavated,linedwith

layersofimperviousplastic,sand,andclay,andfixedwithleachatepipesaswellasprobesto

monitorchemicalsleachedintoboththeearthaswellasgroundwater.Temperature,moisture

content, as well as refuse depth among other things are heavily regulated and frequently
monitoredtoensurepropersanitationofsuchlandfills.Whenthelandfillhasreacheditslife

capacity,thefilliscoveredwithlayersofclay,sand,andsoilwheretheleachatepipescontinue

topumpleachatecollectedatthebottomofthepittostoragetankswherethetoxicsubstance

maybedisposedofsafely.Methanegasrecoverypipesarealsoinsertedintothecoveredpitto

collectmethanegasproducedbythedegradingwaste,wherethegasisthencompressedand

storedandeventuallyconvertedtoelectricityinwastetoenergyplants.Overtime,thewasteis

assumedtobecompletelydegradedbymicroorganismsandotherfacultativebacteriaunderboth

aerobicandanaerobicconditions.Forareassuchascrowdedcitiesorsmallislandswherelarge

landfillingisoftennotafeasibleoption,wasteiscommonlyincineratedpriortobeingsentto

fills. Incinerationisamethodofwastedisposalthatusescombustiontoreducethevolumeof

MSW;thisapproachwillbereviewedindetailfurtherwithinthisreport.

iii. Compost

Therecurrentlyexiststwoprimarymethodofcomposting,bothofwhichareverysimilarto

themethodofsanitarylandfilling.Fortheprocessknownasopenwindowcomposting,organic

wasteisplacedinpilesandregulatedatamoisturecontentofapproximately60%toaidin

decompositionofthematerials.Thebottomsofthepitsarelinedmaterialssuchasashand

limestone which works to neutralize the acidity produced by the decomposition of organic

materialsandproduceanalkalinemediumformicroorganisms(Mishra,2016).Withinthepiles,

microorganisms degradingthematterareconstantlyundergoingexothermicreactions which

producesheat,andtemperatureissustainedatapproximately70 oCbyfrequentlyturningand

aeratingthepile.Whentheinternaltemperaturereachesthatoftheatmosphere,thecomposting

process is said to be complete, and the product is often used as a soil or fertilizer base.
Mechanical composting works in a similar manner, however the process is expedited by

mechanicaldevicesturningthecompost.Compostisenrichedwithnightsoil,manureandother

elementsandarrangementsfordrainingofexcessmoistureareprovidedatthebaseofthepits.

Theproductcanthenbefurtherprocessedandmarketedasafertilizerornutrientrichsoil.

iv. Wastetoenergy

InregardstoWastetoEnergy,thereareavarietyofoptionsavailabletoconvertdomestic

wasteintoavaluablesourceofrenewableenergy;suchprocessesincludemechanicalbiological

treatment, refusederived fuel, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and biodrying.

Biodryingisoftenapreliminarystagetomanyoftheotherprocesseslisted.Asmentionedwithin

thecompostingsectionpreviously,biologicalactivityincompostpilesrapidlyheatthepilesto

hightemperatureswherematerialsareabletobedegradedatafastrate.Withouttheuseof

oxygen, this process is known as anaerobic digestion and is effective when dealing with

materialswithahighmoisturecontentastheheatingofpilesisknowntoremovewatercontent

inadditiontoreducingthesizeandweightofthemass.Thebyproductofbothoftheseprocesses

islargelymethaneandcarbondioxidegas,bothofwhichcanbecapturedandstoredforenergy

purposed. After such initial phases, the remaining waste is commonly used in both refuse

derivedfuelaswellasmechanicalbiologicaltreatment(MBT)plants.AnMBTplantisableto

processavarietyofwaste,utilizingthemethodofcompostingtostabilizeanybiologicallyactive

organicmaterialspriortobeingsenttoalandfill.Notonlydoesthismethodreducethevolume

of waste, but it makes sorting any inorganic materials easier and ferrous, glass, and other

inorganicmaterialscanberecoveredintheprocess.Intherefusederivedfuelprocess,different
componentsofwasteareseparatedandcombustiblematerials(suchasplastics,paper,cardboard,

andotherbiodegradablewaste)aredehydratedandshreddedtoagrainsizewheretheproductis

abletobesubstitutedforafossilfuel.Theprocessofpyrolysisisseenwhenorganicmaterials

areincineratedatveryhightemperatureswithouttheuseofoxygen.Volatilegasreleasedfrom

thedecompositionofwastecanbecapturedandassuchthisthermochemicalprocessifknown

toproducemanyfuelsandchemicalswhilealsoreducingthevolumeofwastebeingdisposedof.

Gasificationisasimilarprocess,howevertheorganicmaterialincineratedresultsinasyngas

composedofcarbonmonoxideandhydrogen.Unlikepyrolysis,theprocessisoperatedwith

controlled amounts of oxygen. The resultant syngas may be captured and converted to a

renewablesourceofenergy. Theremainderofthisreportwilldiscussthetrendsgrowingin

MunicipalSolidWasteprocessingandthedisposalmethodswithintheWastetoEnergysector.

2.MarketAssessment

2.1CurrentTrends

Solid waste removal is a fundamental necessity for all municipal communities. The

demandforproperprocessingandrecyclingofwasteisagrowinginCanada,especiallyasthe

populationofallmajorcitiesincreases1.4%annually.Nationally,Canadaproduced25million

tonsofwastein2014,a1.7%increasefrom2012.Upto75%ofthiswasteendsupinthe

landfills or incinerators,with only 25% being recycled orconverted toenergy. The cost of

disposalatsuchalargescalecancostupwardsof3billiondollarsnationallyperyear.Asof

2010,theCanadiangovernmentwaspaying$86percitizentodisposeofwastes(Statcan,2015).
Despitethesolidwastevolumeincreasinginthepasttenyears,from20002010,theCanadian

averageresidentialrecyclingrateincreasedby10%,from2333%inthepreviousdecades(State

of Waste Management in Canada, 2014).This increase can be partly credited to the Waste

ManagementCompanieswhomhavebeenstrivingtoboosttheincentiveofresidentstorecycle

properlyforthebenefitoftheircompanyandthecommunity.Table1showsalistofthelargest

wastemanagementcompaniesinNorthAmerica.

Table 1: Largest Waste Management Companies in North America

No. Company Revenue CollectionCapacity

1 WasteManagementInc. $14billionUSD 80milliontons/year

2 AlliedWasteIndustries $9.12billionUSD 100milliontons/year

3 WasteConnectionsInc. $2.1billionUSD 8milliontons/year

i. CurrentRegulations

Duetothehighvolumeandcostofmunicipalwaste,Canadahasproposedmanynew

ways to approach this growing issue through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the

Environment(CCME).ThegovernmentofCanadahasspecificenvironmentalregulationsand

guidelines that all private disposal companies must adhere to. For all new or expanding

municipalwastelandfillingsiteslargerthan40,000cubicmeters,facilitiesmusthavedesignsfor

groundwaterprotection.Airemissionscontrolisrequiredforsiteslargerthan3millioncubic

meters.Theymustadherebygivenoperationandmonitoringrequirementsforsitepreparation,

groundwater and surface monitoring, and meet financial assurance requirements for private
sector landfills. If a contaminant attenuation zone is necessary for proper operation of a

landfillingsite,theownerofthelandfillmustownthepropertyrightsrespectingthecontaminant

attenuationzone(OntarioLandfillStandards,2012).

Allinterprovincialmovementsofhazardouswastesmustbemonitoredandtrackedbythe

Canadiangovernment(EnvironmentandClimateChangeCanada,2017).Inmunicipalities,local

wastecanbelimitedthroughlocalgovernmentsforexamplebyhavingafinitenumberofbags

allowed to be picked up by disposal vehicles before charges are made. Some recycling

regulationsincludecommunitiesof5,000orgreatermustoperateandmaintainablueboxwaste

managementsystem,andaleafandyardwastesystem.Thetotalamountofexcesswasteat

recyclingplantsmustnotexceed2,000cubicmeters. Finally, Ontario Regulation 232/98 ("O.

Reg. 232/98") and Revised Regulations of Ontario 1990, Regulation 347(General Waste

Management) ("Regulation 347") under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) were amended

in June 2008 and resulted in requirements for landfill gas collection and flaring (burning), or use,

for new, expanding and operating landfills larger than 1.5 million cubic meters (Ontario Gas

Capture, 2016).

Withthesenewregulations,manycompanieshaveimplementedsystemstoreduce

emissions,andcreateenergyfromMSW.SomeofthetopcompaniesinCanadaforwasteto

energyproductioncanbeseeninTable1.

Table 2: Top Companies in Waste to Energy Production in Canada

No. WastetoEnergyCompany Location ThermalTreatmentType

1 EnvirogreenTechnologies British Gasification

Ltd. Columbia

2 PyroGenesis Quebec PlasmaWasteProcessing(hazardous,

biomedicalwaste)
 3 WastetoEnergyCanada Multinational Gasification/Oxidation

ii. HurdlestoImprovement

Therearemanyhurdlesthatwillbefacedwhenimprovingsolidwasteprocessingand

recyclinginmunicipalities.Currentlyonlythreeprovinces haveamaximumupperlimitfor

waste disposal per capita, which are Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Alberta. To be able to

significantly reduce waste, regulations will need to be implemented for all provinces and

territoriesinCanada.Moreinitiativesneedtobecreatedtopreventwastefromindustry,which

accountsfor63%ofwasteinCanada.Alackofsecondarymarketsandweakandfluctuating

markets were identified as an important challenge to foster closed loop recycling at the

manufacturinglevel(StateofWasteManagementinCanada,2014).Betterincentivesneedto

beprovidedtoproductioncompaniesinCanadatocreateclosedlooprecycling,whereall

discardedmaterialsareusedinfutureproducts.Overall,therearemanygoodideasthatwillneed

tobeimplementedinthefutureforCanadatobecomeazerowastenation.

2.2FutureTrends

TherearethreemajorprogramsbeingintroducedinCanadatohelpimprovethewaythe

MSWishandled;theseconsistof:ZeroWasteCanada,ExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR)

andIntegratedResourceRecovery(IRR).

i. Zerowaste

Followingthewastemanagementtier,plansbeginwithtryingtoreducethedisposal

throughupstreamdecreaseinwasteproductioninmunicipalhomesandindustry.TheNational
ZeroWasteCouncil(NZWC)isanexampleonhowtheCanadiangovernmentplanstoachieve

this,whichhasmembersfrommunicipalities,provincialgovernments,recyclingcouncils,and

largeretailerstodiscussimprovements.Theyhavedonecasestudieswhichshowthatbyhaving

largeindustrialcompaniesadopttheCircularAdvantageproductionstyle,theyinturncreate

better consumer products at a competitive rate. In this system, the by products from

manufacturing are reused in future products. Repairs and upgrades are made to the current

productsinuse,andthedisposedendoflifecomponentsareusedinreverselogisticstocreate

more efficient products in the future. This prevents excess waste to be generated from

companies,whichhasasignificantimpactonnationalwastereduction.ZeroWasteCanadaalso

tacklesexcessbiodegradables,suchasfoodwaste.OutlinedinNationalFoodWasteReduction

Strategy, they are campaigning for a federal tax incentive to boost corporate donations of

nutritiousfoodstothecommunities.Thiswillinturnreducefoodwasteandlowermunicipal

costs forwastedisposalanddecreasetheenvironmentalimpactoffoodwaste(ZeroWaste,

2016).ZeroWasteCanadaalsorunsnationaladdsurgingconsumerstocreatelesswasteand

recycletheirgarbagebeforeputtingitouttobecollected.

ii. ExtendedProducerResponsibility

AnotherwaytheCanadiangovernmentismovingforwardinsolidwastemanagementis

through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) plan. It is a policy where producers

responsibility(physicaland/orfinancial)foraproductisextendedtothepostconsumerstageofa

productslifecycle(StateofWasteManagementinCanada,2014).Thispolicyhasthegoalof

changing the responsibility of the product life cycle from municipalities to the producer.
Companieswouldnowberesponsibleforthefulllifecyclecostaccountingfortheirproducts.It

shifts the endoflife management from government taxes to the producers, which creates

incentivetogeneratelesswastegoingtothedisposalofproducts.TheActionPlan,alsotriesto

reducethetoxicityandenvironmentalrisksfromproductsanditswastetoimprovetheoverall

lifecycleperformanceofproducts,includingreducingassociatedgreenhousegas emissions

(CCME,2009).Companieswillhavetoplanforthefuturecollectionandrecycleoftheproducts

theyareselling,whichcreatespositiveimpactsonthefuturedesignofproductstobemore

environmentallyfriendly.

iii. IntegratedResourceRecovery

AconceptdevelopedinBritishColumbia,calledIntegratedResourceRecovery(IRR)is

alsoatrendingmarketinmunicipalsolidwasteoperations.IRRviewswasteasaresourcethat

canprovidevalueandcreatenewopportunitiesavailableforusebycommunities(Resources

fromWaste,2009).Someofitsgoalsaretoreducethewaterpollutionmethaneemissionsfrom

landfills,andtocreatesustainableemploymentinnewindustriesbasedonrecoveringresources

suchasbiofuelsfromwaste.Somewaysresourcescanberecoveredfromwasteincludeaerobic

composting of organic waste; anaerobic digestion to create fuel for heating or for vehicles;

combustionorgasificationofwoodwastetocreatefuel,andwaterreusethroughatsewage

treatmentplants.Akeytopicofinterestisgasification;wheredryorganicwasteisheatedina

vesselwithlimitedamountsofoxygentocreatesynthesisgas(amixtureofhydrogen,carbon

monoxide,carbondioxide,methane,andmore).Thisgascanbeburnedinaboilerforheatorin

acogenerationplanttoproduceheatandelectricity.Gasificationisundertheclassificationofan
Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT) which is involved in the production and renewal of

municipalsolidwaste.

3.GasificationSynthesisChemistry

3.1FeedstockandGeneralChemistry

Withthetrendsindicatingashifttowardsminimalwastedisposalthroughtherecoveryof

materials/ energy, processes like incineration and ATT (advanced thermal treatment)

technologiesarebecomingmorepopular.GasificationisanATTprocesswhichwillbefocused

onfortheremainderofthisreport.Indicatedbelowarecomparisonsandcontrastsofthebenefits

thatgasificationprovideswhencomparedtoothercurrenttechnologieslikeincinerationand

pyrolysis.

i. Gasificationvs.Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis and gasification are processes which are both classified as an Advanced

ThermalTreatment.Themaindifferencebetweenthesetwotypesofthermalprocessesisthe

extentofconversionthatoccurswithinthereaction.Pyrolysisproducesasyngasbutwithinthe

residueleftover,thereremainsunreactedcarbonchar(thenonvolatilecomponents)andash.

Whereasgasificationisabletousethiscarbonandconvertittosyngasduetotheminimal

oxidationapparent.Steamcanalsobeusedtoassistinthisprocess(LeBlanc,2017).Therefore,

ashisleftastheresidualproductingasification.
 ii. ATTvs.Incineration

Withthesetwothermaltreatments,therearecomparisonsandcontraststhatcanbemade

withincinerationtoindicatewhichismostdesirable.Themaindifferenceistheamountof

oxygenusedinproduction.Pyrolysisisthethermaldegradationofasubstanceintheabsenceof

oxygenwhilegasificationrequirespartialoxidation.Littleoxygenisusedsothattheproduction

ofharmfulcompoundscanbelimited.ThroughmaximizingCOandH2,anoxidationlimitcan

beputinplacetoreducetoamountofNOxandSOxproduced(Li,F.,&Fan,L,2008).This

contrastsincinerationwhichisdesignedtoattaincompletecombustionbymaximizingtheinput

of oxygen and output of carbon dioxide. An increase of oxygen within the reaction forms

releasesharmfulcompoundswhichcan havelargeenvironmentalimpacts.Theseimpactsare

directlyrelatedtotheutilizationshiftfromincinerationtoATTprocesses.

3.2ChemicalReactions

Whenspecificallylookingatincinerationandgasification,thefurnacetemperatureshave

animpact.Forcompletecombustiontooccur(viaincineration),thetemperatureofthefurnace

mustbeapproximately800C(Byun,Y.,Cho,M.,Hwang,S.,&Chung,J,2012).Thisvalueis

belowthemeltingpointofashwhichprohibitstheabilitytoconvertthisMSWtoarenewable

resource;fromhere,theinorganicmaterialsareconvertedtobottomandflyashwhichislater

disposedof.Belowisthechemicalreactionofthiscombustionprocess:

1) C6H10O4+6.5O2+(24.5N2)6CO2+5H2O+(24.5N2)H=6.5MWh/ton

Astouchedonin ATTvs.Incineration, thepresenceofthenitrogenproductisaveryharmful

chemicalthatisemittedaspollutionduringtheseprocesses.Additionally,sincethereisnowaste
removal for incineration, corrosion is prominent within the combustion process due to the

presencealkalimetalswithinthesolidresidueandflyashobtained.

Incontrast,thegasificationprocessoccursat1400Ctoenabletheconversionofwasteto

avitrifiedslag(whichcanbeutilizedasasourceofconstructionmaterial).Inthenearabsenceof

oxygen,organicsareconvertedtosyngasandtheothermaterialproductsarelefttobeprocessed

intovitrifiedslag;thesecontainmostlyheavymetals(withtheexceptionofmercury,zinc,and

lead)whichvaporizeathightemperaturesandareretainedintheflyashandsyngas.Syngasis

themainproductofgasificationofMSW.Thechemicalreactionisillustratedbelow:

2) C6H10O4+3O23CO+3CO2+4H2+H2OH=1.3MWh/ton

ThesyngasproductismainlycomposedofCOandH 2whichareusedinasecondarycombustion

reactiontorecoverenergyviaasteamcircuit(Byun,Y.,Cho,M.,Hwang,S.,&Chung,J,2012).

Theabilityofthisprocesstouseharmfulgassesasameanstogenerateenergyratherthan

releasethemintotheenvironmentisverydesirable. Thegenerationasecondaryproduct(gas,

liquid,orsolid)bytreatingthewasteasameanstoretain/generateenergyiswhygasificationis

beingintroducedmorereadilyinsociety.

3.3Catalysis

Whenspecificallylookingattheactionofthecatalyst,themolecularactivityoccurs

througharedoxreaction:itdissociatesandforcesthefreeatomstomigratetothecarbonsurface.

This generates two possible oxides of carbon which consist of carbon dioxide and carbon

monoxide.Carbonmonoxideisacomponentofsyngasandcanbefurthercombustedfortheuse

ofenergygeneration,asexplainedintheChemicalReactionsection.Thereareseveraltypesof

catalyststhathavebeentestedfortheireffectivenessinthegasificationprocessandthefollowing
have been identified as the best candidates: iron, potassium carbonate, and other bimetallic

catalysts.Theaimofeachcatalystistomaintainahighreactionratewhilereducingthereaction

temperature.Accomplishingthiswillallowforareductioninenergyinputwhilereachingthe

sameextentofreaction.Furthermore,eachcatalystcanbebeneficialtothegasificationprocess

byprohibitingtheswellingandcakingofcoalsandbyfavoringthegasphaseofmethanation

equilibriumtoincreaseenergyproduction.

4.ProcessOverview

4.1BlockFlowDiagram

Figure 1: Incineration Block Diagram

Figure 2: Gasification Block Diagram
4.2ProcessDescription

i. SyngasProduction

Thefurnaceiswherethegasificationtakesplace.Withinitincludestwonontransferred

thermalplasmatorches,apreheatingburner,anoutletforthemeltedslag,andahotairinjection

portandaMSWfeedingsystem.Theburnerusesliquefiedpetroleumgas(LPG)topreheatthe

furnace.Theinternaltemperaturesofthefurnaceandsyngascombustoraremaintainedat1400

and880C,respectively.Theinjectionofair(@600C)thatisfedfromtheairpreheated/gas

coolerpartiallyoxidizestheMSWtoallowtheMSWthemeltfasterwhenburnedwiththe

torches(thusitreducestheamountofenergyeachtorchneedstocreatethestandardproduct).

Theslagisdisposedoutofthewatertankandthemoltenslagisquenchedwithwatertoproduce

granulatedslag(whichisthenremovedbytheslagconveyerbelt).Thesyngasproducedwithin

thefurnaceisfedtothesteamgeneratorwhereitcoolstoatemperatureof180C.Steamisthus

generated,injectedintothesteamcondenserandrecirculatedtothesteamgenerator(Byun,Y.,

Cho,M.,Hwang,S.,&Chung,J,2012).

ii. SyngasCombustion

Beforethesyngasisabletoenterthecombustionchamber,acidicgasesareeliminated

throughthegascleaningsystem.Inordertodoso,awaterquencherandscrubberareinstalledin

seriestoaccomplishthistask.Thewaterquenchercoolsthegasto30CwithNaOHsolution

(40%)andremovesthemajorityofacidicgases.Secondly,thescrubberfinalizestheelimination

ofacidgas(Byun,Y.,Cho,M.,Hwang,S.,&Chung,J,2012).Thenthesyngascombustion

chamberisusedtocombusttheH2andCOgases.AiristakenfromtheMSWstoragechamber

andutilizedinthischambertocombustthesecomponentsusinganLPG(liquefiedpetroleum
gas)burner;thetemperatureofthisaircanreach900C.Lastly,notonlyisthegascoolerusedto

increasethetemperatureoftheairtakenfromtheMSWstorageto600C(asstatedabove)butit

isalsousedtodecreasethetemperatureoftheemittedgasfromthesyngascombustionchamber

to200C.ThentheheatedairisinjectedintothefurnaceandusedtopartiallyoxidizetheMSW.

iii. ProcessSafety,Environmental,CostandEfficiencyConsiderations

Toensuretheprocessissafe,asafetymanagementsystemwasputinplacetomakesure

eachprocessefficientlyconnectedwithothers.Figure2.illustrateseachsystemandhowtheyare

connectedwithinthegasificationprocess.

Figure 2: Gasification Safety Management System

Aside from safety measures, when considering how thermal plasma gasification impacts

society,threeaspectsareevaluated:environment,cost,andefficiency.Amongallthreefactors,

gasificationprovestobebeneficialduetothedecreaseinharshchemicalemissions,reductionof

MSW,andincreaseinenergyoutputitprovides,respectively.Throughouttheremovalprocess

(includingselectivecatalyticandnoncatalyticreduction),theuseofgasificationprohibitsthe

emissionofNOxandSOxduetothelackofoxygenwithintheplasmafurnace(Li,F.,&Fan,L,

2008).Furthermore,inusingathermaltechnology,thecombustionofthemunicipalsolidwaste

significantlydecreasestheamountofwastethatmustbetransportedtolandfills.Notonlythis,

butthrougheachcombustionreactionthatoccurs,thegasesproducedarecollectedandusedfor
energywhichfurtherproveshowgasificationaccountsseveralaspectstobenefitthecurrentand

futurestateofthecommunity.

5.Conclusion
Inthenewsocietydriventowardszeroemissionsandcreatingasustainableenvironment,

theneedforaredesignofmunicipalsolidwastesystemsisacrucialissueforCanada.Many

stepscanbedonetoreducetheenvironmentalfootprintCanadianmunicipalwasteleaves.This

includescreatingmoreregulationsforprivatedisposalcompaniestofollowtoensurereduction

ofemissionsandrecyclablewaste.Nationwidecampaignsandprograms,suchasZeroWaste

Canada and Extended Producer Responsibility can be implemented to increase recycling

residentially and industrially. These campaigns also help create consumer awareness of

consumptionandpromoteanewmindsetofbeinglesswasteful.Mostimportantly,wasteto

energytechnologiesmustbeexploredwithanemphasisongasification.Gasificationnotonly

converts MSW to energy safely and efficiently, but also reduces NOx and SOx in the

atmosphere.Thenextreportwillfurtherreviewthegasificationprocess,anditsfeasibilityinthe

currentCanadianwastecollectioncompanies.
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