March 2007

European
Technologies Trip
What do Europeans do with
Left-overs after Recycling

Presented by:
Commissioner David P. Gray
May 24, 2007 Michael G. Marschner
 Focus of Trip
Concentrate on progress made in Europe
and Scandinavia in response to the legacy
impacts of land based disposal of Solid
Waste, the escalating cost of energy and
other natural resources, the accumulation
of GHG emissions and the potential
impact of climate change.
 Trip Agenda
¾ Meet with multiple European waste
management associations and
governmental entities to better understand
how Europe manages its solid waste.
¾ Tour several different types of European
waste disposal, and recycling facilities to
learn the current state of technology and
waste management trends.
 Participants
¾ Authority Board Members
z James Irvin - Howard County Michael Marschner – Frederick County
z Mike Evans – Carroll County Bob Cooper – Harford County
z Jim Harkins – MES

¾ David Gray – Frederick County Commissioner

¾ Robin Davidov - NMWDA
¾ Chris Skaggs - NMWDA
¾ Steve Tomczewksi – MES
¾ David Ricks - Montgomery County Ohio
¾ Lee County Florida - Lindsey Sampson

¾ HDR
z John Williams Joe Murdoch
z Susan Raila Dan Costello
z Greg Gesell Bruce Howie

¾ Ramboll
z Jorgen Haurkohl Bettina Kamuk
 Cities Visited
Copenhagen, Denmark
Malmo, Sweden
Frankfurt, Germany
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
Paris, France
Brescia, Italy
 Copenhagen Denmark
Meeting w/Dakofa – Danish Waste Management Association
Tour Nordforbraeding (Horshom) Incineration Facility
 Meeting with Dakofa – Danish
Waste Management Association
¾ Population of Denmark: Approximately 5.27
million people.
¾ Local governments are responsible for waste
management.
¾ They generate approximately 12,000,000 tonnes
of waste per year including C&D and wastewater
treatment plant wastes.
¾ Denmark has 29 WTE facilities, which treat a
total of 3.5 million tonnes of waste per year.
¾ They recycle approximately 65% of their waste,
incinerate approximately 26% and landfill
approximately 9%. Approximately 83% of
Domestic Waste is incinerated.
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding (Horshom) Incineration Facility

¾ Capacity: Approximately
500 tons per day.
¾ WTE facility produces
electricity and hot water
for district heating.
¾ Just added new line that
will provide approximately
275 tons per day of
additional capacity (cost
of $60 million).
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding (Horshom) Incineration Facility
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding Incineration Facility (cont)

¾ Air Pollution Control

(APC) consists of:
z Electrostatic Precipitator
(ESP), Wet Scrubber
z Selective Non-Catalytic
Reduction (SNCR) for
NOx
z Activated carbon for
mercury
¾ Plant is located next to a
residential area.
¾ Bottom ash used in
construction applications.
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding (Horsholm) Incineration Facility
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding (Horsholm) Incineration Facility
¾ After touring the
facility we had the
opportunity to visit
with one of the plant’s
residential neighbors,
who provided us with
his insight and
information on the
consumer side of the
district heating
provided by the WTE.
 Copenhagen
Nordforbraeding (Horsholm) Incineration Facility
¾ District heating is provided
by the Nordforbraeding
facility to the surrounding
area, through underground
lines and the use of
relatively simple heat
exchangers, which can be
located in a small closet
within the home.
¾ The district heating system
provides all of the heat and
hot water for both
residential and commercial
buildings located in the
district heating area.
 Malmo, Sweden
Tour SYSAV WTE plant
Meeting with Swedish Association of Waste
Management
 SYSAV – Malmo Sweden
¾ SYSAV, South Scania Waste Company, receives, recycles and
treats wastes from households and businesses in southern Skane.
¾ The company is owned by 14 municipalities which have a combined
population of 635,000 people and 6,000 companies.
¾ SYSAV controls 15 Recycling centers and 4 transfer stations, 4
landfills, 1 district heating WTE plant, and a new combined heating
and electrical power WTE plant in Malmo.
¾ SYSAV manages approximately 870,000 tonnes of waste per year.
¾ Management Strategy
z 45% Incinerated
z 35% Recycled
z 10% Composted
¾ Tipping Fee is approximately $70/ton and Government tax is
additional $30 per ton for disposal vs. recycling.
 SYSAV – Malmo Sweden
¾ SYSAV two WTE plants process
approximately 400,000 tons per
year.
¾ They are currently adding a new
unit that can also handle sewage
sludge (Biosolids).
¾ APC includes ESP, Wet scrubber,
ESP and Selective Catalytic
Reduction (SCR) for NOx and
activated carbon for mercury
removal.
¾ SYSAV sells NOx credits because
of over-control resulting from
SCR.
¾ The facility generates and sells
steam and electricity.
 SYSAV
Video Presentation
SYSAV – Malmo Sweden
SYSAV – Malmo Sweden
 Swedish Association of Waste
Management
¾ Avfall Sverige – Swedish Association of Waste
Management, was founded in 1947. It is a stakeholder
and trade association in the field of waste management
and recycling.
¾ The association has almost 400 members. Most of these
are municipal bodies (local authorities, municipal
companies, and municipal regional companies). There
are also about 110 corporate members (manufacturers,
consultants, and public cleansing contractors).
¾ The association represents its municipal members,
whose customers account for 95 percent of the Swedish
population.
 Swedish Waste Management
¾ Management of waste in Sweden relies on three
basic groups.
z The local authorities
• Which are responsible for household waste.
z The producers
• Which are responsible for their respective product groups.
z And other waste holders
• Typically industry and business, which take responsibility for
the other waste not addressed by the the local authorities or
the producers.
 Swedish Waste Management
¾ Goals:
z Achieve 35% recycling of food waste (in municipal household
waste) by 2010
¾ 2005 Results
z 46% recycling of household waste

• (target 50% 2010, Including 15% recycling of food waste from

household waste target 35% 2010)
z 50% recovered as energy through incineration
z 4% landfill

¾ In 2002 banned landfilling of combustible waste

¾ Banned landfilling of organic waste in 2005
¾ 28 waste to energy facilities
¾ 35 organic waste recycling facilities
z (20 composting and 15 digestion plants with biogas production)
¾ Material recycling facilities
z (20 sorting plants, one glass recycling unit, a few plastic recycling
plants, paper mills and steel works)
Frankfurt Germany
Tour Herhof GmbH
Box Composting Facility
Rennerod, Germany
 Rennerod Germany
Herhof GmbH Facility
¾ Facility receives approximately 100,000 tons per
year of residential waste at approximately (US)
$125 per ton.
¾ Batteries in the waste cause problems with this
system.
¾ The facility employs 14 people.
¾ The process includes composting the material
(in large boxes) for 6-7 days to dry material for
screening (15% moisture).
¾ After the material is dried it is screened to make
dry the fuel product called “Stabilat”.
Herhof GmbH Facility
¾ Waste is received and
then shredded prior to
compost phase.
¾ The crane that loads
the shredder is
computer operated.
¾ After composting and
ferrous removal air
classification removes
other heavies from
the fuel product.
 Herhof GmbH Facility
¾ The facility employs
dust control for the
processing area and
a separate odor
control system
“LARA” to control
organics and odors
that come from the
composting process.
Herhof GmbH Facility
¾ The fuel product
“Stabilat” is either
shipped to market or
bailed for storage for
when markets are
available.
¾ Currently the facility
has to pay to dispose
of the Stabilat fuel at
power plants or
cement kilns.
Herhof GmbH Facility
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tour HVC Compostering
Tour Sortiva
Tour HVC WTE
 Netherlands
¾ Netherlands has approximately 16 million
residents
¾ Waste generation is approximately 9,000,000
tons per year
¾ Organic waste is source separated and goes to
one of 24 compost facilities 1.5 million tons
(17%)
¾ 3.5 million tons of waste is incinerated (39%)
¾ 4 million tons recycled (44%)
¾ Netherlands has a ban on landfilling
unprocessed waste
 HVC Public Service Company
¾ HVC is a public service waste company
owned by, and working for local authorities
providing:
z Collection of household and commercial waste.
z Transfer of wastes (logistics) by road and water.
z Composting and recycling (HVC Compostering and
Sortiva*).
z Incineration and Energy through operation of WTE
plants.

* Sortiva is equally owned by HVC and GP Groot

 HVC Purva Composting Facility
outside of Amsterdam
¾ Receives approximately 70,000 tonnes per year
of VGF Waste (Vegetable, Garden and Fruit)
¾ Tip Fee is approximately $60 per tonne or $66
per US ton.
¾ Waste is shredded then sent through a trommel
screen to remove the large pieces.
¾ Composting takes approximately 4 weeks
¾ Produces approximately 28,000 tonnes of
compost per year which is free to public.
¾ Residue is approximately 6%, which is
incinerated.
HVC Purva Composting Facility
HVC Purva Composting Facility
HVC Purva Composting Facility
Sortiva Recycling Center outside of
Amsterdam
¾ Sortiva is a recycling and landfilling company
¾ They are 50% privately owned and 50% government
owned.
¾ At this facility they accept approximately 450,000 tonnes
of materials each year and recover 400,000 tonnes for
beneficial use/recycling.
¾ Disposal fee is 130 euros per tonne
¾ Of the 400,000 tonnes recovered nearly 120,000 tonnes
are incinerated.
¾ The material incinerated is mostly wood waste which
they currently pay 85 euros per tonne to transport and
have burned in Germany – Plans are to burn wood
waste in new Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) unit being
built at the nearby HVC incinerator.
Sortiva Recycling Center
Sortiva Recycling Center
 HVC WTE (Incinerator) outside of
Alkmaar Amsterdam
¾ Process 690,000 tonnes per
year of waste and 170,000
tonnes of wood waste per
year.
¾ Currently 4 Von-Roll grate
units with a 5th Foster Wheeler
fluidized bed unit being
constructed for wood waste.
¾ Produces electricity for sale
with a small amount of district
heating with hot water.
¾ The APC system consists of
an ESP a spray dryer an ESP
a flue gas quench, activated
carbon injection.
 HVC WTE (Incinerator)
• The facility is set up to make
visitors comfortable from the
inviting tour room to the
headsets that allow you to hear
your tour guide.
• The facility receives over
10,000 visitors per year and is
aiming to accommodate over
20,000 visitors.
 HVC WTE (Incinerator)
¾ The tipping floor is
managed to keep
waste off of the floor.
¾ The tipping bays have
lids to help control
dusting and odors.
¾ The facility also
accepts Special
Waste for “Assured
Destruction” of
material.
HVC WTE (Incinerator)
¾ Inside the plant on the
tour route is a mock
up of a grate section
in the furnace.
¾ They have also
included a section
water-wall boiler with
refractory and
insulation to show
what the boiler is like.
 HVC WTE (Incinerator)
¾ A scale model and
light up picture of the
facility also helps with
describing the facility.
¾ The facility is set up
for regular tours by
school children and
others, providing an
important educational
tool and service to the
community.
HVC WTE (Incinerator)

The Control room and crane

control area are located in the
same room to allow for better
communication.
As with all of the facilities
operations are monitored and
controlled 24 hours per day, using
the latest computerized control
systems .
 HVC WTE (Incinerator)
¾ The HVC WTE facility is
in the process of building
a circulating fluidized bed
(CFB) boiler to burn wood
waste from the Sortiva
recycling facility.
¾ They will receive a 10.5
cent government subsidy
per kwh on top of regular
electric sales to burn the
wood waste.
 Brussels, Belgium
Meeting with the
Confederation of European Waste to Energy
Plants (CEWEP)
Confederation of European Waste to Energy
Plants (CEWEP)
¾ Represents over 330 WTE plant in Europe 90%
of all plants in Europe
¾ CEWEP Aims:
z Boost Renewable energy from waste
• CEWEP believes that energy from solid waste needs to be
promoted for its contributions to climate protection as well as
ensuring security of energy supply.
z Support Landfill ban of combustible material
• Emphasizes that recycling and energy recovery are
complementary options to divert waste from landfills.
z Support Level Playing field
• They promote a level playing field for waste treatment across
the community to ensure that al plats met the same
environmental requirements.
Confederation of European Waste to Energy
Plants (CEWEP)
z Promote public participation
• CEWEP provides information to the public on emission
levels, energy efficiency on the technology of WTE and the
substitution of fossil fuels by WTE plants.
z Representation at European Level
• CEWEP represents European WTE plants at the EU level.
z Promote information sharing
• Advances in science an technology and the practical aspects
of WTE, sustainable waste management and energy
recovery.
Confederation of European Waste to Energy
Plants (CEWEP)
¾ On the whole in Europe they recycle 32% of
their waste, incinerate 24% and landfill 44%
¾ 62 New plants planned in Europe
¾ EU members with the highest recycling rates
also have the highest levels of WTE production
¾ WTE is more cost efficient at reducing CO2 then
wind, biomass and photo-voltaic. WTE more
reliable than wind, biomass, photovoltaic
Waste-to Energy Plants in Europe operating in 2005
Thermally treated Municipal Solid Waste in Million Tons Per Year
 Meeting with CEWEP

CEWEP’s fossil fuel substitution estimates.

 Meeting with CEWEP

Note: The SELCHP Facility is located

outside of London and processes
approximately 460,000 tons per year
of waste.
 Paris, France
Tour France’s Newest WTE
Facility (under construction) on
the River Seine
Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
 Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
¾ Technology is VonRoll Innova
¾ 2 Processing lines at 30 tonnes per hour each – 1,440
tonnes per day or approximately 1,600 US tons per day
¾ APC includes ESP, a dry scrubber, followed by a
baghouse.
¾ They will use SCR with a catalyst for NOx reduction.
¾ Emissions guarantees are below EU standards.
¾ The “stack” will be 3 meters taller than the building
¾ Cost of facility is 550,000,000 euros or approximately
$690,000,000 US – Approximately $150,000,000 of the
cost is because of the need to build most of the facility
underground.
Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
 Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
¾ Approximately 60% of the facility will be
built below grade
Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
¾ Excavation Materials
were conveyed
across the road and
loaded onto barges
for removal.

¾ Ash will be removed

from the facility by
barge as well.
Scale Model of Isseane
 Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
¾ 20 citizen sentinels
observe the
construction site and
warn the SYCTOM for
possible corrective
measures.
¾ The name Isséane
was chosen by local
commuity.
Isseanne WTE Facility in Paris
 Brescia, Italy
Tour ASM Brescia WTE Facility
 ASM Brescia WTE Facility
¾ ASM Brescia owns and operates the WTE
Facility.
¾ ASM Brescia also operates 2 power plants,
waste water and water treatment plants and
water distribution systems. They collect trash,
collect and process recycling, and provide
district heating and natural gas service.
¾ They are a publicly traded company with 74% of
the stock owned by the municipalities they
service.
 ASM Brescia WTE Facility
¾ The WTE facility processes
801,000 tons per year.
¾ The 3 unit facility uses Martin
grate technology.
¾ The facility utilizes dry lime
injection, carbon injection and
a baghouse for emissions
control.
¾ The facility currently uses a
ammonia based SNCR NOx
removal system but is
experimenting with a high dust
SCR catalyst system.
¾ Emission limits are well below
EU standards.
 ASM Brescia WTE Facility
¾ Brescia has a 43% recycling rate for
paper, glass, metals, organics.
¾ They have an extensive district heating
system and continue to increase the
number of customers that they serve.
¾ Approximately ½ of the energy distributed
through district heating comes from WTE.
¾ WTE also produces 528,000 Mwh of
electricity in 2006.
ASM Brescia WTE Facility
 ASM Brescia WTE Facility
¾ The tipping floor was
very clean with the
waste tipped into
chutes that led to the
bunker.
¾ The bunker was
separated from the
tipping floor with a
concrete wall.
ASM Brescia WTE Facility
¾ The control room was
large with both the
“modern DCS” system as
well as the analog display
panel that spanned the
control room.
¾ The facility takes
composite quarterly
dioxin samples as part of
their on going monitoring
program.
 Lessons Learned from Europe

¾ First and foremost an integrated Waste

Management strategy that includes:
z Recycling
z Energy recovery
z and landfilling (in that order) is best.
Lessons Learned from Europe
z Recycling
• Recycling 100 percent of the waste is not possible.
• Some parts of Europe can come close to 100% recycling but
they use WTE and include the energy recovery in their
recycling calculations.
• European communities can post very high recycling values
but they often include waste streams which are not included
in US calculations, or they include energy recovery from
WTE as noted above.
• Average recycling rates are around 50% (Equivalent US
Value) and when energy recovery is subtracted from total
recycling rates are not unlike some communities in Maryland.
• In Europe taxing solid waste disposal (WTE and Landfilling)
provides an incentive to recycle; as a result, lower tipping
fees prevail for recycling alternatives.
Lessons Learned from Europe
z Energy Recovery from Waste
• Energy recovery through the use of WTE (Incineration) plants
is a form of recycling and recognized as such by many of our
contemporaries in Europe.
• Energy recovery through WTE offsets use of fossil fuels and
their corresponding GHG.
z Landfill only inert material
• Conservation of landfill space and reduction of greenhouse
gases (Methane) is a part of the Europe’s waste
management strategy.
• This concept may need to become a part of the US waste
disposal equation; and
• These strategies need to be complementary to recycling
programs/initiatives.
 Lessons Learned from Europe
¾ Europe relies heavily on incineration (WTE) and
is constructing and expanding new facilities.
z Several plants are adding new lines, some to allow
combustion of high caloric wood waste.
z Most European WTE plants use state of the art Air
Pollution Control Systems and they achieve
emissions lower than permitted values.
z Combined heat and power (CHP) WTE plants have
the ability to further decrease greenhouse gas
emissions and the cost of waste disposal.
z The EU and National Governments endorces WTE as
a means to not only reduce non-recyclable wastes but
also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
improve energy security.
 Lessons Learned from Europe
¾ Composting vegetable, fruit, and garden (VFG)
waste may be viable if source separated
collection and appropriate disposal fees can be
established.
¾ However, in vessel (Box) composting and
sorting of MSW (Herhof GmbH) process appears
to have serious problems since treatment costs
are high and there is difficulty in disposing of the
“Stabilat”, Refused Derived Fuel.
¾ In Europe energy recovery from solid waste is
predominantly through the use of mass-burn
WTE facilities using modern and new state-of-
the-art APC .
Lessons Learned from Europe

¾In Europe the waste

management philosophy
is that take care of your
waste today, not leave it
for future generations.
Questions