| Waste-to-Energy
Along with the development of the most selective treatment lines, the optimization of incineration equipments makes it possible, when other types of recovery are not technically or economically viable, to meet a dual demand: eliminate waste and produce energy.
Thermal treatment is an effective recovery solution for waste that cannot be recycled. The first advantage is that it divides the volume of waste by 10. It also provides an alternative source of energy that can replace fossil fuels to generate heat for district heating networks or electricity fed into the local grid. It saves natural resources and limits greenhouse gas emissions.
We are bringing our plants up to the most recent standards. We test and implement processes to minimize the environmental impact of our municipal waste-to-energy plants. We are also seeking ways to increase their thermal output by fitting them with electricity and heat cogeneration systems. We recycle the bottom ash as backfill and stabilize the flue gas residues. We pay particular attention to integrating new facilities into their natural surroundings.
In the United States, we operate 11 Waste-to-Energy facilities including the Miami-Dade plant and Pinellas plant. Each year, Miami-Dade plant treats 1.4 million metric tons of waste in compliance with strict environmental regulations, recovers 3,000 metric tons of aluminum, 36,000 metric tons of steel and metals, and produces almost 80,000 metric tons of compost along with 76 MW of renewable energy that powers the plant and 45,000 households. This facility has received numerous awards for its environmental performance. Pinellas plant has a daily capacity of over 3,000 tons of solid waste for a power production of 75 MW, corresponding to the needs of 45,000 homes.
In France, the Nîmes waste-to-energy plant treats the non-hazardous waste from 57 municipalities. The plant is unique in terms of the performance of its flue gas treatment system, which yields emissions levels 75% below the regulation thresholds.
In Asia, we have won many contracts for the maintenance, operation or construction of waste-to-energy plants. For example, in Macau, where we obtained the first project in Asia, we operate the only municipal solid waste treatment facility for the city, specialized in Waste-to-Energy. In Taiwan, we manage the Bali plant which has a daily municipal waste treatment capacity of 1,350 metric tons for a power production of 41 MW. In Shanghai, we provided assistance for the delivery of the Puxi waste-to-energy plant, the largest in China, which has a treatment capacity of 1,500 metric tons/day with 24 MW of renewable energy. We are also responsible for its operation and maintenance. We also operate the Likeng waste-to-energy plant near Guangzhou, which has a capacity of 1,000 metric tons/day of municipal waste and generates 21 MW of electricity.
Our references in Asia
Guangzhou Likeng Waste-to-Energy Plant, China mainland Macau Refuse Incineration Plant TaiChung City Incineration Plant, Taiwan ChiaYi City Incineration Plant, Taiwan LuTsao Incineration Plant, Taiwan LiTzer, YiLan County Incineration Plant, Taiwan BaLi, Taipei County Incineration Plant, Taiwan Taitung BOO Incineration Plant, Taiwan |
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Landfill Gas-to-Energy
Generated by the natural degradation of the organic matter in household waste, landfill gas contains methane and is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect (21 times more than CO2). It also creates odor problems. Veolia Environmental Services has become the industry expert in the collection of landfill gas, which is then burnt in flares or recovered in the form of energy. This renewable source of energy can be used to generate electricity or heat.
In the European Union, 21% of all electricity consumption in each Member State must be generated by renewable energy sources by 2010. The French government has therefore called for tenders to build by 2007 electricity power plants using biomass or landfill gas. Our landfill gas project, the only one adopted, consists in raising to 27 MW the capacity of our facility at the Claye-Souilly landfill. This will prevent the emission of 42,000 metric tons/year of greenhouse gases equ. CO2. In Montreuil-sur-Barse, we equipped the landfill with a gas conversion unit that produced almost 5.4 GWh of electricity in 2003 from the 4 million cubic meters of landfill gas recovered.
In the United States, we manage numerous landfill gas recovery facilities. The Saint Louis County landfill prevents the annual emission of 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases equ. CO2. We have identical facilities in Eau Claire and Horicon in Wisconsin.
In Australia, our Ti Tree landfill is the first in that country to be fitted with a bioreactor, or Écométhaniseur®, that injects the leachate back into the waste. According to US experts, this system multiplies landfill gas production by 10 and increases the landfill capacity by 20% to 30%. It also reduces the post-closure care period. The recent Woodlawn bioreactor treats 400,000 metric tons/year of waste. It is expected to generate 20 MW of green electricity.
Also, we have 5 landfill gas to energy facilities In Mainland China and 4 facilities in Taiwan. In China, we are the biggest landfill gas-to-energy operator, our projects have taken up 75% of the total installed capacity of all landfill gas-to-energy projects in China.
Our references in Asia
Hangzhou Tianziling Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, China mainland
Guangzhou Datianshan Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, , China mainland
Xi’an Jiang-cun-gou Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, China mainland
Nanjing Shuige Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, China mainland
Beijing A-su-wei Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, China mainland
Taipei SanJuKung landfill Gas-To-Energy, Taiwan
Taipei FuTeKeng landfill Gas-To-Energy, Taiwan
TaiChung landfill Gas-To-Energy, Taiwan
Kaohsiung XingChingPu landfill Gas-To-Energy, Taiwan
Solid recovered fuels
The organization of SRF (solid recovered fuels) into a specific market has created new recovery potential, which enables the reduction in the quantity of waste incinerated or stored in landfills and the operation of two types of alternative fuels: a biomass fuel consisting of paper, cardboard and wood, which is eligible for carbon credits, and a highly calorific fuel mainly made up of plastics.
In Ludres, a specialized unit is under construction on the Ludres site, in the East of France. It is designed for the preparation of SRF from non-hazardous industrial waste which is not currently recovered. The industrial process integrates automated sorting technologies, in particular for the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and creates two production streams resulting in the two types of fuels. The Ludres plant will be capable of treating 86,000 tons of non-hazardous industrial waste per year.
In Norway, we are already very involved in this market in Norway, supplying 35,000 tons of SRF for Oslo’s district heating and 40,000 tons to the Norcem cement company, i.e. approximately one quarter of its annual energy requirements.
In South Korea, we produce fluff type RDF and pellet type RDF/RPF by processing combustible wastes including packaging film through the EPR system. This processing removes incombustible materials such as dirt, glass and metals, and it makes RDF or RPF that can be burned as a fuel by itself or blended with other fuels.
We provide fluff RDF as an alternative fuel for cement kilns and pellet RDF/RPF for powering exclusive-use RDF boilers in cogeneration plants, paper mills, etc.
Our references in Asia
Veolia ES & KC EcoCycle, South Korea
Biodiesel:
Available resources, the required technical expertise and industrial capacity to use them, a strategic location and a synergy to be activated: these are the terms of the equation of Veolia’s Biodiesel project.
In France, official consent was given in April 2006. It is consistent with the second phase of the program implemented by the French government for the development of biofuels. 60,000 tons of biodiesel will be produced from 2008 on the Limay site, in the Ile-de-France region, with used edible oils and vegetal virgin oils. The establishment in the harbor district of Limay makes it possible to use river transportation to supply the unit and dispatch the finished product. It also acts as a hub for several of the Group’s activities: used oils are collected by a dedicated subsidiary of Veolia Environmental Services and the treatment of the site’s hazardous waste makes it possible to recover the energy used in the biodiesel manufacturing process.
