WASTE/RECYCLING A
New technology turns waste into energy to offer a cleaner and lower cost alternative to incineration
new compact energy from waste solution, which turns clinical, hazardous and troublesome waste streams into heat, has been unveiled
by green technology specialists DPS Global. The pioneering development offers a commercially viable and an environmentally sustainable alternative to incineration and landfill.
The ST Series technology involves staged and separated pyrolysis and gasification of industrial, clinical or hazardous wastes to produce small amounts of ash and heat. This enables hospitals, commercial operations and industrial plants to utilise their waste as a substitute for fossil fuels thereby reducing CO2
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emissions and heating bills by as much as £100,000 per annum, dependent on feed volumes.
The technology also significantly reduces the cost of waste disposal by diverting it from landfill or incineration and through its capability to be positioned close to the source of waste. Destroying waste through incineration can cost between £300-£400 per tonne for contaminated waste and as much as £1,000 per tonne for clinical waste. Comparatively the ST series technology treatment cost is much lower, around £150-250 per tonne for all wastes.
Pyrolysis, which involves the thermal decomposition of organic material by the action of heat alone, separates the energy rich carbon and hydrogen from the waste. This is achieved by feeding the waste through a tube which is externally heated using exhaust gases from the later stages of the process. The heat decomposes the waste to form a synthetic gas (syngas), similar to the natural gas used by a domestic boiler. Additional syngas can be produced from some of the carbon left in the waste (known as char) after pyrolysis. This is achieved through gasification, using a small amount of air and steam to release the carbon from the waste. Finally, the syngas can be combusted with a controlled amount of air reaching a temperature of 1150°C, as hot as flowing volcanic lava. This ensures that any small pollutant particles, which make their way
down the process, are destroyed. Carbon monoxide emissions, which lead to smoke and soot, are extremely low. Says Neil Young, Managing Director at DPS Global: “Most wastes have a high carbon and hydrogen content, which is exactly what fossil fuels contain. It is the reaction of the carbon and hydrogen with oxygen which releases the energy needed for our modern lifestyles. “However, waste can contain other pollutants which can be released into the atmosphere when processed in a traditional incinerator. However our new pioneering technology is the first economically viable small scale unit to separate the carbon and hydrogen from the rest of the waste, extracting the fuel we need while leaving the pollutants in the ash from the process.”
He added: “Incineration has always been the main alternative to landfill when dealing with hazardous and difficult to deal with wastes. However, we believe that there is now a real alternative through the wide scale deployment of compact pyrolysis waste treatment systems, which will help the private and public sectors reduce and control their waste costs, as well as significantly contributing to their Corporate Social Responsibility targets and obligations.
“In short the ST series has been designed to offer a viable, low-emissions alternative, treating waste at source and recovering the energy for use onsite. This turns waste into a fuel source. It provides significant payback in terms of savings on energy and waste disposal costs at a time
when both are rising and hitting the bottom line.”
DPS Global’s compact model is capable of processing up to 250kg per hour and generating heat output of up to 700kWth. It accepts around 85% of the European waste catalogue of materials with no pre-treatment required and can also be easily integrated into existing healthcare, commercial and industrial infrastructure to provide energy for heating and hot water in these premises. The size means that it can be easily accommodated within industrial, commercial and residential areas close to the source of the waste and demand for heat. This minimises transport movements and maximises the potential of the heat output from the process as it is appropriately matched to satisfy the needs of the end user. The compact nature of the system also ensures investment risk can be managed through a lower capital outlay, variable feedstock capability and higher location flexibility.
The military have been early adopters of the technology ordering five units, and having one operational for over two years
www.dps-environmental.com
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5 25
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