Photo by: AzmanL / iStock
Solid fuels cannot be a viable alternative to fossil fuels, as they are only a by-product of the sorting and treatment of municipal solid waste that we receive to reduce the percentage of landfill.
If no alternative fuel is produced after MSW treatment, the so-called ’tailings’ from sorting, which contain the calorific fraction, are sent to landfills for disposal. Currently, the share of waste sent to landfill ranges from 50% to 90% of the total.
Alternative fuels can be used in the cement industry or in thermal power plants to generate heat and electricity, but they will not replace conventional energy. This is important to understand, because the production of alternative fuels is still an expensive undertaking.
The market price of solid fuels from waste should at least cover the operator’s production costs, and the calorific value was comparable to some fossil fuels (12 to 20 MJ/kg).
To increase the share of MSW recycling in Russia, solid municipal waste treatment and recycling complexes are being designed to sort secondary material resources (SMR), separate out all hazardous, non-combustible and organ-containing waste. The waste not subject to further recycling is then used to produce fuels in accordance with State Standart.
Cover photo: simonkr / iStock
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