Highly efficient and low-emission incineration and gasification plants for turning municipal waste into renewable electricity and heat energy.
Biovoima is part of a business cluster whose network builds state-of-the-art and efficient plant ecosystem for energy utilization from mixed waste and energy waste. The plant modules are individually tailored to each project according to the amount and composition of the waste and the project objectives, but the typical process is described below.
In developing countries, typically 50-70 % of all municipal waste (MSW, Municipal solid waste) is organic waste that decomposes in landfills into methane and escapes into the atmosphere. Emissions are huge, as the amount of waste in highly urbanized cities can be tens of thousands of tons a day. Some studies have estimated that landfills are one of the world’s largest single sources of greenhouse gases. At the same time, a great energy potential is lost from the point of view of the recovery of both organic and inorganic waste.
The greatest benefit of the ecosystem is in these markets, where separate collection of waste is not yet widely practiced. Instead of landfilling, the ecosystem solution makes it possible to separate and treat different waste streams in the most appropriate way. The final products are energy, recycled products, fertilizers and soil improvers.
The waste-to-energy plant typically begins with a waste separation plant. The aim of the separation plant is, above all, to identify between organic and inorganic waste streams including metal, glass and plastic waste. If the separation line is manned, as it typically is in the developing markets, other recyclable materials and pieces, such as plastic bottles, are easily separated from the waste stream.
The separation line is designed to meet the project requirements, but a very typical solution consists of the following elements:
When separated organic waste is exported to a biogas plant for renewable energy production, there remains a high-quality inorganic waste stream that can be converted into energy in a modern, low-emission waste incinerator. The plant can produce steam, electricity and heat according to the customer needs. As a final product, bottom ash, which is about 15 % of the original amount of waste, can be utilized, for example, in groundwork or cement production.
The benefits of a waste incineration plant include:
Our waste-to-energy solution is based on a well-planned, modern facility that brings significant benefits to the entire region. These benefits are particularly important in developing markets and include: