Waste to Energy: A Circular Economy for Reducing Environmental Impacts

Waste-to-energy is an innovative step to minimize the hazardous environmental issues caused by the piling up of wastes. According to research, it is found that the process used to produce fuel from landfill waste generates fewer greenhouse gases than simply letting down the waste decompose. This is because the landfill gas from the waste contains high concentrations of methane which has approximately 30 times higher global warming impact compared to carbon dioxide. Waste to energy includes many processes of retrieving energy from non-recyclable wastes such as gasification, pyrolysis, combustion, hydrothermal liquefaction, and many more. These processes result in a range of energy products including renewable natural gas, biochar, bio-oil, and hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel.

With the growing production of heat and power from waste, the global waste to energy market is expected to observe progressive growth in the approaching years. The market is anticipated to generate $70,700.0 million and rise at a CAGR of 4.7% over the forecast period from 2021 to 2028. The major players of the market include Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc., John Wood Group Plc, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company Pjsc (TAQA), C&G Ltd., Suez, and many more.

What are the Various Benefits of Waste to Energy?

Waste to energy processes imparts a plethora of benefits for the welfare of society, the environment, and mankind. Some of them are discussed below:

• Creating a Significant Amount of Energy: The widely used process of converting waste to energy is combustion which is carried out in huge boilers. These boilers combust waste in a closed loop to capture the heat generated by the combustion. This generated heat is further used to create steam that powers a turbine to produce electricity. As per studies, it is found that waste can yield around 550 to 700-kilowatt hours that can be used to power homes or businesses for a significant period. Moreover, the electricity can also be refunneled back to run the equipment in the waste management plant.
   
• Reduces Landfill Waste: The waste-to-energy process plays a crucial role in diminishing landfill waste to a great extent by converting them into energy. In addition, it contributes to reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases causing global warming.
   
• Recycling Excess Waste: The technology used to convert waste into energy can also recycle any metal such as steel and aluminum that remain after combustion. This factor uplifts the value of waste to energy processes in shrinking the amount of unusable waste.
   
• Creating Employment: The process of extracting energy from waste includes many processes which need plenty of labor. Starting from the collection of waste to the final step of segregation, every phase requires manpower and this creates a large number of employment opportunities. For instance, in the US, all facets of waste to energy production procedures produce around 3.1 million new jobs.
   
• Saves the Earth and Conserves Energy: The recycling of wastes helps in reducing the cutting down of trees. This is mainly because trees are widely used for the production of paper. Moreover, the waste-to-energy processes provide a renewable source of energy which lowers the consumption of earthly resources.

Do Waste to Energy Plants Pollute?

A few decades ago, trash incinerators were widely in use for waste recycling processes. These incinerators caused health hazards to the plant workers and the nearby residents. However, modern waste-to-energy plants are very different from old trash incinerators. These are capable of recycling hazardous wastes and producing energy without releasing harmful gases causing pollution to the atmosphere such as greenhouse gases. Moreover, these modern plants use various methods such as gasification, and boiling furnaces to produce energy products with minimal emissions.

What is the Future of Waste to Energy?

Businesses and governments of various nations are constantly emphasizing the reduction of waste and green energy production with the rising awareness of climate change. Waste-to-energy is one such alternative that can burn landfill waste to produce energy in the form of steam, electricity, or hot water with minimal harmful emissions. This generated electricity can be supplied to the grid and further distributed to end users. Therefore, waste-to-energy is a sustainable procedure of creating energy that keeps using resources as long as possible and its quality of converting trash to treasure is truly valuable for the future generation.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.