“Thermal Decomposition: Renewable Energy from Waste for Poland”
By David Palmer Boyd
Prezes Zarządu, Ester Eko-energia Polska, Sp. z o.o.
Polish environmental and societal infrastructure development is at a cross-roads
For those of us who represent Ester Eko-energia Polska, Sp. z o.o. we wish to find solutions that will not only remove waste from our communities, but to do so in a responsible fashion that will not endanger our neighbours, our environment and our financial ability to provide a sustainable solution.
Consequently, we have chosen to bring into Poland the Canadian technology developed by the EnEco Systems Inc. This technology is known as a “thermal decomposition” energy from waste method. This is a tried and true method that has been implemented in Canada, USA, China, Malaysia and the Korea. It has been receiving growing appreciation and is being sought after by countries around the world.
In summary, this is a decomposition process where the waste is placed in a sealed gasification chamber with reduced oxygen content, medium temperatures and a slightly negative atmospheric pressure. This causes the waste, which has carbon content of both a natural and a processed nature, to release its carbon and gases. This is accomplished slowly over an 18 hour period of time.
Once those gases, called ʻsyngasʼ, have been released, they are then used as an energy source for producing high quality heat energy. This, in turn, produces other usable energy forms and may be applied uniquely for each local context as concluded / determined by engineers.
Thermal Decomposition vs Incineration
However, some of you are thinking “Is this like burning garbage?” The answer is “No! It is not the same.” For example, normal burning processes require higher oxygen amounts and higher temperatures. A comparison of incineration with thermal decomposition is provided in the table below.
There are a variety of processes for incineration and many of them are better for the environment than simply throwing the waste into a land fill. However, when considered with the amount of energy consumed to destroy the waste with the amount of usable energy produced, its energy efficiency quotient is not the most desirable. Especially when one factors in the transportation of waste (with its negative impact on the environment), then we should be looking for better solutions.
The process of thermal decomposition requires much less energy to begin and to maintain it. Since there are no moving parts inside of the gasification unit itself, then it has a much lower maintenance cost over the years and does not send massive amounts of particulates into the atmosphere.
All in all, the process is much less violent and is much more energy efficient. We are able to extract more of the energy from the process and to re-use it in positive ways for the communities involved. Any metals and glass in our TOPS (Thermal Oxidization Processing Systems) units is NOT melted or combusted. Therefore, they can be recycled in their original form. The ash is inert and can be used in a variety of processes without harming the environment. Subsequently, there is NO residue and we will have recycled or completely used all of the waste treated. This is in contrast to 20-25% residual slag in incinerators, molten metals and glass, and toxic residue.
Emissions Evaluated
The thermal decomposition of waste has been proven to exceed the required norms for environmental protection and public health concerns. An independent auditor of the Eneco Systemsʼ Toronto waste to energy plant (built in 1992) wrote:
The amount of emissions were “well below” the standards set by the Ontario government. They then give some specific examples just how much less than the permissible amounts of various emissions were measured.
As can be seen, the emission rates are far far less than those allowed by the government and thus demonstrate the safety and efficiency of this particular type of waste treatment process.
This is a very efficient and safe process that will save millions of Złotys for Polish communities and citizens!
Flexible Solutions for Polish Communities
The EnEco Systems technology was chosen by Ester Eko-energia Polska, Sp. z o.o. because it can be sized to handle as little as 15 tons per day of municipal waste to the amount of waste produced by a mid-sized city -simply and efficiently.
One of the strengths of our design is that it is built around a series small gasification units. As the amount of waste increases, then we can add a number of gasification chambers to be able to handle that amount of waste, without having to create a new engineering design.
Below is a diagram of the waste to energy plant designed for Wloclawek which will handle 100 tons per day of municipal waste. Smaller communities would use fewer gasification units (the green rectangles), smaller boilers and turbines, while larger communities could expand this design simply. As can be seen, this process does not require a lot of land and can be handled very compactly and efficiently.
In addition, we are using a process of baling the waste that was designed by one of our collaborators, Mr. Janusz Baraniecki, which will allow the post-sorted waste to be stored and used more efficiently in our gasification units. This will also help provide a higher energy value of the waste that we treat.
The units are designed to be able to meet the specific needs of a local community, rather than being based on selling a machine. We can also generate electricity, produce heat energy, condense drinking water from the atmosphere and produce food and fish products for sale from the residual energy produced from the waste.
This is one of the amazing things about trying to recuperate lost energy from waste: we have found that there are many uses of that energy that can be made. In fact, by adding each of these technological processes, we are further reducing carbon emissions and the impact that this has on the environment. How much carbon is saved? That is a complex question that requires a complex answer.
In the meantime, a study completed by the Energy Recovery Council, April 2009 called “Waste not Want not: The Facts behind Waste to Energy” shows that waste to energy processes save an average of 3,636 pounds of ʻlifecycleʼ CO2 (1,650 kgs) per MWh of energy produced. When we consider that our waste to energy plant will produce 61,320 MWh of electricity and another 94,900 MWh of heat energy, then our total lifecycle CO2 saving would be 250,000 tons per year for just the Wloclawek 100 ton per day waste to energy plant!
This is a remarkable savings of CO2 and a protection of the environment for Poland!
(Lifecycle CO2 savings includes calculating the amount of avoided methane that is normally produced in a land fill site, avoided CO2 that would have normally been produced thermal generations processes for electricity and heat -such as the burning of coal or natural gas, and the recovery of materials.)
Investing in Polish Green Energy
Ester Eko Energy Polska, Sp. z o.o. is working at developing a program of investment and financing that will allow us to do a minimum of 16 average projects in Poland. Discussions with larger Polish energy firms could see that number of projects increased.
We can now say that we have international investors and both national and international banks that are interested in funding and financing projects in Poland. The Polish economy and its strengthening infrastructure have provided an ideal place for investment and business capital.
This also means that these projects can be developed without increasing the tax burden on the Polish people and economy. The costs for building and operating these units come from the normal costs for handling waste, the price paid for electricity and heat energy, EU grants, and not by direct subsidy by the Polish taxpayer.
In its commitment to green energy, Ester Eko-energia Polska Sp. z o.o. will use the residual heat energy, extra carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases, to provide a special environmental climate for aquaponics. This is a process where we have a floating greenhouse garden in water that is growing fish for food as well. We can even take the remaining dirty water from the greenhouse to grow algae for bio-diesel.
Every step of the process is meant to both increase the value of the investment for those who will be investing their funds into the Polish economy and to provide protection for the environment and the people of Poland.
