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How does waste-to-energy "stack" up?

N P Getz1

  • 1Roy F. Weston, Inc. Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA.

Air & Waste : Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
|November 1, 1994
PubMed
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Waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities are compared environmentally to fossil fuel plants. This analysis quantifies emissions per megawatt-hour to assess WTE

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Energy Policy
  • Pollution Control

Background:

  • Waste-to-energy (WTE) is a growing sector in waste management and power generation.
  • Understanding the environmental impact of WTE relative to conventional sources is crucial for energy policy.
  • Fossil fuel combustion remains a primary source of electricity globally, with significant environmental implications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an environmental perspective on waste-to-energy (WTE) power generation.
  • To compare the actual emissions of WTE facilities with those of fossil fuel combustion utility sources.
  • To establish a standardized metric for comparing pollutants per unit of net electricity generated.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of emission data from operational WTE facilities.

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  • Compilation of emission factors for various fossil fuel combustion power plants.
  • Normalization of emissions data to a common basis: pounds of pollutant per megawatt-hour (MWH) of net electricity generated.

    • Main Results:

    • Quantified emission rates for key pollutants (e.g., SO2, NOx, CO2, particulates) from WTE facilities.
    • Quantified emission rates for the same pollutants from representative fossil fuel power plants.
    • Direct comparison of pollutant loads per MWH for WTE versus fossil fuel sources.

    Conclusions:

    • WTE emissions profiles differ significantly from fossil fuel combustion.
    • The environmental performance of WTE is best understood on a per-megawatt-hour electricity generation basis.
    • This comparative data informs decisions on sustainable energy strategies and waste management practices.