Background information
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) or Energy-from-Waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste. Most WTE processes produce electricity and/or heat directly through combustion or produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or other synthetic fuels. Sources of waste feedstock include bio-sludge, industrial waste, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), medical waste, and agricultural waste. WTE plants offer a sustainable source of renewable energy with significant positive environmental and economic impacts, including the elimination of landfilling and the reduction of Green House Gas (GHG)Emissions. WTE plants fall into two main categories: thermal treatment and biological processing of organic waste. These processes use a range of technologies including gasification, plasma-arc gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and combustion (incineration). The type of technology utilised in any project is dependent on the characteristics of the feedstock waste material. Similarly, the outputs and residues from WTE processes also vary, depending on the nature of the feedstock and the technology used