Fuel for co-combustion:
In Denmark Industrial waste contains approx 0,5% of chlorine on mass basis. If this waste was fired directly into existing central power plants (and not in waste incineration plants) the chlorine would during the combustion be converted to HCl (hydrochloric acid) – a gas corroding the boiler. Moreover the chlorine in the flue gas would accelerate the formation of dioxins. If the chlorine is not removed the lifetime of the boiler would decrease significantly, and the power plant would have to use tonnes of neutralising agents (limestone) to remove the HCl from the flue gas and expensive filter agents to catch the dioxins. The new sensor can very easily detect not only PVC but all substances containing chlorine in the waste. The goal is an online sorting machine based on the sensor, which can produce a fuel meeting the demands of the power plant.
Invironmental sustainability and ecological footprint:
The major part of European central power plants is using fossil fuels (coal, N-gas and oil). Some countries (DK, NL, GE, SE, F, CH, AT, etc) are producing power and district heat from industrial and municipal waste in waste incineration plants. Due to the corrosive properties of the flue gasses the conversion efficiency from fuel to power is only max 20-22%. Central power plants using fossil fuels have a comparable efficiency of 38-42%. If the industrial waste incinerated in waste incineration plants is mechanical sorted as with NOMI and the chlorine content lowered by the means of the FORCE sensor the power produced per ton waste could be almost doubled reducing the CO2 emission almost proportionally. In countries with relatively few or no waste incineration plants, the ecological footprint is even bigger, since the investment in new incineration plants can be reduced, because existing power plants can incinerate the sorted industrial waste with high power generation efficiency.
Another advantage of sorting out chlorine containing maters from the waste is the reduction in the tendency of formation of dioxins and the longer lifetime of the combustion plants due to the reduced amount of chlorine in the fuel.
Compared to the present situation where industrial waste is either (1) combusted in waste incineration plants or (2) land filled:
- More power will be generated per ton waste moved from waste incineration to central power plants, because the efficiency of power generation in central power plants is much higher than in waste incineration plants
- Solid industrial waste not being utilised will efficiently be converted to energy at existing central power plants
- Less CO2 will be emitted to the atmosphere either:
- because industrial waste normally being land filled is converted to partly sustainable fuel with little or no CO2 emission replacing fossil fuel with high CO2 emission - or
- because industrial waste is moved from low efficiency power generation at waste incineration plant to high efficient central power plants
- Formation of dioxin will be reduced compared to waste incineration because the sorting removes the major part of the chlorine
- Lifetime of combustion plants will be increased due to less corrosion from chlorine containing flue gasses,
the amount of energy for transportation of fossil fuel from the source to the plant will be reduced.
