Biomass power plant
manufactured fuel (secondary-recovered fuel
or SRF). Both SRF and RDF can be stored and
transported for use by industry in thermal
processing energy generation facilities, but for
this to be environmentally sound management, it
is important that high emission control standards
are met by the industrial user. Many countries have
developed policies to support the development of
renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuels,
including inter alia guaranteed feed-in tariffs.
Such policies should extend to energy-from-waste,
including anaerobic digestion, thermal processing
and landfill gas.
The applicability of energy-from-waste will vary
between countries. Key issues to explore in middle
and low income countries, which may constrain
the applicability of energy from the thermal
processing of waste, include:
(1) the local waste characteristics (will the
waste burn unsupported by additional
fuel?);
(2) the potential ‘competition’ with informal
sector recyclers for materials in the waste;
(3) energy needs and the availability of local
markets for selling the heat;
(4) affordability issues
(5) the need to install and operate expensive,
high-technology gas cleaning equipment;
and
(6) local institutional capacity to permit and
regulate facility operations and monitor
emissions.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUAL WASTE
Ideally, every effort should be made to reduce,
reuse, re-manufacture, recycle and recover energy
– but once that has been done, then it is necessary
to use environmentally sound management (ESM)
technologies to treat and dispose the final residual
waste. Indeed, for some hazardous wastes, this
requirement may take priority over the ‘standard’
waste hierarchy.
Progress in high-income countries has come
in steps. For example, environmental controls
were first introduced in developed countries in
the 1970s. By 1990, most uncontrolled disposal
had been phased out, but 85% of municipal
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