Technology

Energy from waste

Energy from waste plants burn waste in a modern furnace under strictly controlled conditions. They generate heat and electricity that can be used to supply the surrounding area and/or power to the national grid. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is where both heat and electricity is gainfully used from the process and this makes the solution highly efficient. CHP from energy from waste has seldom been achieved in the UK and hence this project represents a significant achievement.

In addition to energy, there are two by-products from the facility - bottom ash, which can be used as an aggregate for road building or block making, and a smaller quantity of fly ash. The fly ash is very alkaline due to chemicals used during the gas clean-up process and so it is classed as hazardous waste. It can be used to neutralise acids in industrial processes or it is disposed of at special landfill sites.

Choice of technology

As part of their Municipal Waste Management Strategies, each council conducted their own thorough investigation and option appraisal into how waste could be managed in the future, including the types of technology currently viable with associated cost and environmental factors. All concluded that a thermal process of recovering energy from waste, alongside increased recycling and waste minimisation, was the best option available. The three councils then undertook a further option appraisal as a partnership. The conclusion was similar to that of each individual authority's appraisal. The partnership therefore approached the waste industry open to waste solutions, although with a requirement that a thermal process should be included as part of any proposal.

Further details of each authority's waste plan are available below:

• Waste Development Plan Document - Plymouth
• Waste Development Documents - Devon
• Waste Management Strategy - Torbay

Visit the MVV website for facts and figures and further information on their solution.