Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. Most WtE processes produce electricity directly through combustion, or produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels.
The energy content of waste products can be harnessed directly by using them as a direct combustion fuel, or indirectly by processing them into another type of fuel. Recycling through thermal treatment ranges from using waste as a fuel source for cooking or heating, to anaerobic digestion and the use of the gas fuel , to fuel for
boilers to generate steam and electricity in a
turbine.
Pyrolysis and
gasification are two related forms of thermal treatment where waste materials are heated to high temperatures with limited
oxygenpressure. Pyrolysis of solid waste converts the material into solid, liquid and gas products. The liquid and gas can be burnt to produce energy or refined into other chenmical products (chemical refinery). The solid residue (char) can be further refined into products such as
activated carbon. Gasification and advanced
Plasma arc gasification are used to convert organic materials directly into a synthetic gas (
syngas) composed of
carbon monoxide and
hydrogen. The gas is then burnt to produce electricity and
steam.
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