Energy recovery from refuse - State-of-the-art

The practice of energy recovery from municipal solid waste is becoming increasingly widespread in North America as the prices of fossil fuels rise. The present state in the technology of energy recovery is discussed relative to the following methods which are at various stages of development: burning raw refuse in steam-generating incinerators, burning prepared refuse in modified existing or new steam generators, pyrolysis, hydrogenation, controlled anaerobic digestion, and recovery of methane from landfills. Installations in North America have pioneered the technology of solid fuel preparation which basically consists of refuse shredding and separation of the light combustible fraction by air classification. By 1980, pyrolysis plants will play a major role in solid waste management. Recovery of methane from landfill is already commercialized.