Incineration as a Means of CO2 Reduction

Abstract

Incineration is a method of waste management, which is quickly taking a prominent role in munic ipa l authorities all over the world. The introduction of smokeless incinerators aids in decreasing adverse environmental impacts, making this technology a viable alternative to landfills. Modern designs and advancements in incineration processes focus on enhancements in energy efficiency and reductions in emissions of CO2, thus creating an avenue for sustainable energy. It is a means to combat organic substances in waste and separate dangerous gases and particulates from flue gas. Modern incinerators have efficient emission control systems that use multiple techniques for the elimination, at source, of potentially hazardous emissions and automatically control the rate of combustion. Smokeless combustion can be achieved through a combination of temperature, time and turbulence. The range of test incinerators used for this study covers a broad spectrum of usage reduces munic ipa l solid waste to a mere 0.3% of its original state. Reductions in CO2 are directly correlated to decreases in the amount of waste to be transported to off-site landfills, thus reducing the number of trips to and from same. Such reductions are in tandem with the goal of carbon neutrality, or rather, carbon net-zero, which requires the sequestration of an equal amount of CO2 produced. Comparisons are provided for reductions of CO2 as a result of the reduction in the burning of diesel by backload refuse trucks. Case studies are presented for communities with a significant general waste generation where CO2 emission from the waste pickup and transport to and from landfills are compared to that of CO2 emissions after the installation of a smokeless incinerator unit in a central community area. The most significant finding is that CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 50% in most cases, with the introduction of these units. The introduction of these smokeless incinerator units can combat waste management woes in a shorter space of time, in parallel with achieving environmental targets such as that of Carbon Neutrality.