Waste to Energy: European Policy strategies and promising ... · •Waste Framework Directive – sets out the principles of waste management ... – Improvement of steam parameters

Waste to Energy: European Policy strategies and promising value chains Pat Howes14th March 2017

2© Ricardo-AEA Ltd Ricardo Energy & Environment in Confidence

•Context – what is WtE and what is the energy value of waste?

•Waste policy & Circular Economy

•Trade in Waste

•Future trends

•What research is needed?

Content


• Waste Incineration with energy recovery

• Advanced conversion with energy recovery and perhaps co-products or flexibility in energy/chemicals production

• Use of refuse derived fuels or solid recovered fuels with use in kilns to generate process heat

• Anaerobic digestion of biodegradable wastes

• Use of contaminated post consumer wastes in energy e.g. use of waste various grades of waste wood for heat and/or power.

• Novel processing of mixed plastics to fuels (and other co-products)

• Production of fuels from waste

Context

What is waste to energy?

Source: Saveyn et al 2016


Context

courtesy EIA in Wilts et al 2016 For further information on how WtE works – see IEA Bioenergy Task 36

1

2

3

4

For further information on how to improve WtE plant efficiency see Saveyn et al (2016)

Can we add value to these chains?


• 6 waste fractions together contain 83% of the total embedded energy in wastes sent to incineration and 93% of the energy embedded in wastes sent to landfill:

• Most energy recovered from waste is in– WtE incineration plants – Cement and lime production plants– AD plants

Energy value in waste

Waste derived biogas – This is energy recovered from animal and vegetable waste and municipal sewage sludgeSource: Data from Saveyn et al for JRC 2016

• Wood waste • Household and similar wastes • Mixed and undifferentiated materials • Sorting residues • Animal and vegetable wastes • Waste derived biogas

Context


• Total energy recovery 2013 was ~ 1.5% of the final energy consumption in the EU-28 (676PJ1). – WtE incineration: 275PJ heat and 110PJ electricity (includes 31 plants based

on refuse derived fuel, with a combined capacity of 5.5 Mt/y2); – Cement & Lime plants 176PJ thermal energy (using 9.7 Mt mixed municipal

waste/y3) ; – AD: Heat: 33 PJ, electricity:70PJ Biomethane:12PJ

Where is energy recovered from waste generated?

1 Eurostat 2014 – data for 20132 CEWEP, 20163 Wilts et al 20174 Eurostat 2012

Context

• Energy recovery (RI) 31Mt• Incineration 20.6 Mt• wastes sent for energy recovery represented about 20% of Household waste

generation in the EU-284


• Optimised energy efficiencies

• For waste incineration – 33% efficiency in electricity generation (typically<25%)– 80% efficiency for heat conversion (typically~72%)– 93% for CHP (typically 68%)

• For cement and lime kilns – conversion efficiency can be optimised at 80% compared to 75% typically

• For AD – we can optimise electrical generation efficiency from 18% (typically) to 23%.

• Saveyn et al (2016) provides detail on how this might be achieved.

Can we exploit WtE better?


Incineration capacity in Europe

Incineration capacity for mixed municipal waste in EU, NO & CH 2014Source: Wilts et al 2017

Total capacity: 81.3 Mt/y, 464 mixed MSW incinerators (2014)

Context

Half EU’s total capacity

Heavy dependence on landfill


Incineration capacity in Europe

Incineration capacity for mixed municipal waste in the EU, Norway and Switzerland, bycountry, 2014. Source: Wilts et al 2017

Context


Generated and incinerated mixed municipal waste/person and amount incinerated 2014 Source: Wilts et al 2017

Context

423 Kg/person53%

482 kg/person27%

Norway

UK


Policy


Energy Efficiency policy

Resource efficiency policy

Waste policyRenewables policy

Circular economy

WtE – the policy backdrop

EU Urban Agenda

Sustainable Development

Goals

Eco-design Directive

AffordableSustainable

SecureWaste prevention

(WFD)

Waste IncinerationDirective/IED

Policy


• Waste Framework Directive – sets out the principles of waste management– Sets out a waste hierarchy, which puts a priority on prevention, reuse, recycling

before recovery and disposal.– For waste that cannot be prevented or recycled recovering energy is in most cases

preferable to landfilling it, both environmentally and economically i.e. Use of WtE should be governed by best environmental outcome in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental indicators.

• Waste Incineration Directive, WID, Directive 2000/76/EC (now in the Industrial Emissions Directive, (IED) 2010/75/EU) – sets out principles for permitting WtE plants– Applies best available technology principles

• BREF – sets out Best Available Technology for WtE (http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/BREF/wi_bref_0806.pdf)

• Renewable Energy policy – includes the organic fraction of waste as renewable

WtE – the policy context: the basicsPolicy

http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/BREF/wi_bref_0806.pdf


• Most relevant step change is the introduction of the concept of the circular economy into the EU policy context.

• Difficult policy to get right.

• Relevant policy: Circular Economy package (2015) including an Action plan: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm

WTE – the policy future

Circular Economy package: Some key elements• Target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2030• Binding target to reduce landfill to 10% municipal waste by 2030• Ban on landfilling of separately collected waste• Promotion of economic instruments to discourage landfill• Concrete measures to promote re-use and to stimulate industrial symbiosis –

turning one industry’s by-product into another's raw material.• Economic incentives for producers to put greener products on the market and support

recovery and recycling schemes

Policy

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm


Circular Economy plan states:

What does the circular economy package say about WtE?

Investments in new facilities for residual waste (e.g. incineration capacity) would only be granted in well justified cases, with no risk of over capacity and the objectives of the waste hierarchy are fully respected

No infrastructural barriers to increasing waste prevention, reuse and recycling

Investment in waste treatment needs to be framed in a long term circular economy perspective and be consistent with the EU waste hierarchy

WtE development should support the objectives of the circular economy action plan and be guided by the EU waste hierarchy

Development of WtE should include consideration of demand from cement kilns and existing capacity in neighbouring countries (i.e. cross border shipment)

Policy – The Circular Economy


• “it is particularly important not to undermine the waste hierarchy by discouraging waste management options with higher circular economy potential”

• Expect ‘mixed waste’ to fall as a result of separate collection obligations and increased EU recycling targets.

• “Member States are advised to gradually phase-out public support for the recovery of energy from mixed waste.”

• “striking the right balance when it comes to waste-to-energy capacity for the treatment of non-recyclable waste”

• Dedicated incineration capacity for municipal waste is unevenly spread in the EU– Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and the UK account for three

quarters of the EU’s incineration capacity– Sweden and Denmark have the highest per capita incineration capacity with 591

kg/cap and 587 kg/cap respectively

• “the southern and eastern parts of the EU are practically devoid of dedicated incineration capacity and are highly reliant on landfill”

Circular economy continued


So is this the end of waste to energy?

What does the circular economy package say about WtE?


‘Recovery’ from household wastes

Treatment of household and similar wastes for the 14 EU-28 main contributors to energyrecovery from household and similar wastes in 2012 (Source: Eurostat Waste Statistics – in thousand

tonnes/y)

1. We need to address the amount of waste that is landfilled

Note landfill remainssignificant in some countries



Treatment of sorting residues

Source: Eurostat Waste Statistics – in million tonnes/y

2. We need to stop the landfill of sorting residues



Hypothetical residual mixed municipal waste quantity, assuming 65% recycling rates relative to WtE capacity, 2014 Source: Wilts et al 2017

Circular economy package suggests:i. Introducing incineration

taxesii. No fiscal support for WtEiii. Moratorium on new facilitiesiv. Decommissioning older, less

Efficient WtE plant

3. We need to plan WtE better



Evolution in waste streams

• Household and similar wastes + sorting residues– unless the quality of material in mixed wastes and sorting residues improves it is

likely that WtE will be a major route for landfill diversion (currently 52% of waste incinerated is mixed waste1).

• For materials that could be better separated: – wood, plastic, tyres, solvents and chemical and municipal sewage sludge: energy

recovery could see a reduced role in future

• Organic waste such as animal and vegetable wastes: – it is likely that AD will increase rather than incineration. Challenges such as

decarbonisation of the gas grid will encourage this in some countries.

• Paper waste –– this has high recycling value, resulting in low WtE rates and this is not likely to

change

What changes might the circular economy result in?

1 EC Com(2017) 34 final – the role of WtE in the circular economy



Waste prevention initiatives

Review of waste prevention programmes in Europe (EEA 2015)

• End 2014: 27 waste prevention programmes covering 24 countries in place

• 10 of these are integrated with waste management plans; the rest are stand alone, but often linked to non-waste related policies e.g. circular economy and resource efficiency.

• EEA reviewed 15 programmes with an overall objective of breaking the link between economic growth and environmental impacts– Improving material efficiency and resource efficiency, decoupling resource use from

economic growth and preventing the use of primary materials are among the listed objectives in several programmes.

– Explicit objectives for moving towards a circular economy are mentioned in two programmes.

– A total of 15 programmes include the reduction of harmful substances among their objectives.

– Other objectives include the creation of jobs, new business models and behavioural changes.

What changes might the circular economy result in?Policy – The Circular Economy


Improvements in energy recovery - Greater efficiency, more energy recovery and optimised use of energy value of waste• Waste incineration plants

– Improvement of steam parameters for boilers and superheaters– Flue gas condensation and component cooling; recovery of low grade eat from flue gases and cooling water– Introduction of district cooling (100% load)– 4th generation heat networks: using low temperature heat with low heat losses.

• Potential alternative routes– high efficiency fluidised bed gasification – Use of secondary fuels in a fluidised bed combustion plant e.g. solid recovered fuel

• Cement and lime kilns– conversion of waste heat to power, to partially cover on site power demands

• AD – sewage sludge: advanced AD and thermal hydrolysis process (THP): hydrothermal destruction of sludge biomass to increase the biogas

yield during the subsequent AD process– AD with biomethane injection to grid (Gas-to-Grid): upgrading of biogas to biomethane for distribution via the existing natural gas grid –

increasing potential heat use

• Change in waste processing – to increase RDF quality and subsequent energy recovery



Changes being fed back up to chain to manufacturing

• Changes expected in WtE and recycling must result in feedback up the chain to manufacture

• For example– Some plastics are difficult to recycle (and sometimes to separate from mixed waste) – Contaminated plastics e.g. from electric goods or the construction sector lead to an

accumulation (concentration) contaminants in waste– Some materials cause problems in WtE:

• High ash, some metals result in lower WtE efficiency• Fines often concentrate hazardous material• Contaminants decrease the value of AD digester residues

• The circular economy must enable the recovery of metals from incinerator ash.

• The circular economy should not prevent WtE – by looking at material use from cradle to grave it should enable it to become more efficient, better integrated in resource recovery and cleaner



Waste Trade within EU-28, NO and CH


• Waste generated 2013: 242 Mt in EU

• Graph shows import/export of mixed household waste in EU+NO+CH

Waste trade inside the EU, Norway and Switzerland

Increase since 2011

2013 – Imports1.4 Mt

2013 – exports 2.3 Mt

Export countries: AT, DE, IE, NL, NO, UK - dominated by UK (1.6Mt), NL (0.3Mt)Import countries: AT, DK, DE, NL, NO, SE - dominated by NL (1.1 Mt) DE (0.34Mt) and SE (0.47Mt)

Source: Wilts et al 2017

Waste Trade


• Refuse derived fuel

Waste trade inside the EU, Norway and Switzerland

2.4 Mt exported: dominated by UK (1.6Mt), NL (0.2Mt)

2.5 Mt imported: dominated by NL (1.1 Mt), DE (0.5Mt), SE (0.4Mt)

Additionally waste wood is shipped from UK to cement kilns in France and BelgiumSource: Wilts et al 2017

Waste trade


• Price differentials (Gate fees or incineration taxes)

• Imbalances in capacity to treat the waste (lack of incinerator capacity/excess capacity)

• Differences in support for the ‘renewable fraction of waste’

• What helps:

– Ease of transport/low cost transport– Cost savings

What causes waste trade?Waste trade


What changes can we expect?


• Increase in recycling

• Decrease in waste components that can be easily separated going to WtE

• Increase in production of solid recovered fuels

• Improvement in efficiency at WtE plants – through technical changes and greater heat recovery

• Increase in extraction of metals from bottom ash

• Continued use of solid recovered fuels in cement and lime kilns

• Improved role of thermal chemical methods to recover energy and chemicals

• Improved collection of organic wastes for anaerobic digestion – increase in source separation, decrease in landfill of this fraction

• Improved performance of AD – use of co-digestion to increase yields and increase stability of biogas production

• Increase in use of biogas as biomethane in gas grids or for natural gas vehicles

• Homogenisation of systems, decreasing mixed waste exports, but increasing waste recovered fuel exports

What will the expected changes be?Future trends


• Research & development– Better understanding of materials that prevent re-use or re-cycling and impact on the efficiency of WtE and

the residues from WtE– Improvements in the technologies for affordable & efficient recovery from waste– Understand the sustainability of all options against a number of environmental indicators, not just greenhouse

gas emissions– Develop methods to improve re-use of mixed wastes

• Improve information provision to manufacturers and consumers– Efficient use of resources– Impact of materials on recycling and recovery

• Build capacity e.g. skills – Use of materials science to improve waste prevention, recycling & recovery– Understanding of waste issues at the design/manufacturing stage– Thermochemical conversion, efficient WtE and AD.

• Policy support– Clear targets for industry to decrease waste potential and for reuse and recycling – and common basis for

monitoring recycling– Good quality indicators for all options that measure affordability, sustainability and improved security of

resources– Analysis of best available options and who pays? Good accurate modelling tools.

What do we need to do?R&D


• EEA (2015) Waste prevention in Europe - the status in 2014 http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/waste-prevention-in-europe-2015

• Saveyn H., Eder P., Eamsay M., Thonier G., Warren K and Hestin M (2016) Towards a better exploitation of the technical potential of waste to energy JRC Science for policy report http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC104013/wte%20report%20full%2020161212.pdf

• European Commission Communication The role of waste to energy in the circular economy (2017): from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. CPM(2017) 34 final. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/waste-to-energy.pdf

• Wilts H. et al (2017) Assessment of waste incineration capacity and waste shipments in Europe for EEA. http://forum.eionet.europa.eu/nrc-scp-waste/library/waste-incineration/etc-wmge-paper-waste-incineration-capacity-and-waste-shipments

• IEA Bioenergy Task 36

References

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/waste-prevention-in-europe-2015

http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC104013/wte%20report%20full%2020161212.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/waste-to-energy.pdf

http://forum.eionet.europa.eu/nrc-scp-waste/library/waste-incineration/etc-wmge-paper-waste-incineration-capacity-and-waste-shipments


Contact details

Pat [email protected]

+44 (0)1235 753 254

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Waste to Energy: European Policy strategies and promising ... · •Waste Framework Directive – sets out the principles of waste management ... – Improvement of steam parameters