Setting the Standard for a more Sustainable World

Green science we have all been waiting for

Waste To Energy (W2E)

Decineration Plant
Phil Longstaff Managing Director - Environan

What is a Decinerator?
A Decinerator is a Waste to Energy (W2E)
Equipment (plant) and process that disposes of
non degradable items such as Tyres, Landfill,
animal waste i.e. slaughterhouse and medical
waste and in doing so:

Can generate electricity;

Can generate thermal heating solutions;
Uses and disposes of dirty fuel sources;
Reduces the need for landfill; and
Produces Low to Zero emissions.

What is a Decinerator?
Definition of an Incinerator
The concise oxford dictionary defines an incinerator as
An apparatus for Burning Refuse, to ashes

The decinerator thermally oxidises gaseous products resulting

when feedstock is exposed to high levels of radiant energy. The
decinerator does not burn feedstock, therefore by definition the
decinerator is not an incinerator
The Vaporisation process is ideal for the disposal of difficult
materials, which are normally put in landfills such as:

What is a Decinerator?

Biomass;
Agricultural waste (manure, straw, etc.),
Slaughterhouse waste,
Culling or Veterinary waste, Forestry waste)

Municipal Solid Waste (diverted from landfill);

Tyres;
Sewage sludge;
Commercial toxic and non-toxic waste; and
Medical and hazardous waste.

A typical W2E plant can process 80,000 tonnes of waste per annum or
220 tonnes per day based on 24 hour production.

What are the advantages?

Is capable of destroying all organics on the planet while producing odourless,
clean hot gas stream in excess of 1,000C; zero landfill potential;
Universal organic feedstocks destruction performance compliant with the most
stringent pathological and environmental regulations, including those pertaining to
hazardous organics, Specified Risk Materials and medical wastes;

Self-sustained conversion of complete feedstock energy content into high grade

heat; no requirement for fossil fuel or any other thermal energy inputs after
start up;
Operating conditions that ensure destruction of Polynuclear Aromatic
Hydrocarbons (PAHs), furans and dioxins;
High efficiency, homogeneous temperature combustion at stack oxygen levels as
low as 1%. No extreme temperature high NOx producing flames, rat-holing or
lower temperature gas stream channelling; ultra-low NOx performance;

What are the advantages?

Rugged, simplistic technology that is self sustaining on feedstock
energy content with no requirement for supplemental thermal energy
inputs after start up; minimal carbon footprint;
No requirement for feedstock sizing except only non crushable /
breakable components that are sized appropriate for feedstock charging
system dimensions;
No requirement for blending feedstocks having different caloric values,
water contents, or any combinations / permutations thereof;
No requirement for feedstock sizing except only non crushable /
breakable components that are sized appropriate for feedstock charging
system dimensions;
No requirement for blending feedstocks having different caloric values,
water contents, or any combinations / permutations thereof;

What are the advantages?

No requirement for drying or otherwise reducing feedstock moisture (up
to 65% water fraction for biomass) as long as organic portion caloric
content can sustain minimum, regulations compliant operating
temperatures;
High temperature chambers maintained under slight negative pressure
to ensure all vapours, gases and combustion products are contained and
processed;
No metal or moving parts in high temperature regions allows operation
well above the 1,000C minimum required for emergent, superior
performance flameless combustion;
Simplistic, minimal mechanical component, automated for
unattended operation and remote monitoring and;
Infinitely variable processing rates between 25% and 100% of design
for smallest systems to between 5% and 100% for largest.
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W2E Plant Layout

How does the Decinerator work?

The Combustion Process
Traditional Flame

Flameless Combustion

The process is similar to traditional incineration, but with a significant

difference, it vaporises rather than combusts.
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How does the W2E Plant Work?

The Processes
1. Feedstock Inlet
2. Combustion Air Blower
(not required on
Decinerator)
3. Feedstock Processing
Surface
4. Feedstock Cover Zone
5. Final Destruction Region
6. Combustion Gas
Retention
7. Heat Recovery
Equipment
8. Ash Quench System

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What are the plant emissions?

The plant was tested burning old oil impregnated railway sleepers as a fuel source
the results shown below demonstrated that CO and CO emissions were Zero
No visible smoke or odour was sensed as part of
the air emissions test.
The average stack gas velocity and flow rate
were determined to be 7.9m/s and 0.460m/s
respectively
The results above have been repeated using other feedstock with similar or
better results.

The acceptable UK
emissions for an incinerator
plant are shown here.

Source: Waste Incineration Directive (WID) page 61

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What are the plant emissions?

NOx Production increases exponentially with both flame temperature and
oxygen.

Source FLAME CHARACTERISTICS AND CHALLEGES WITHHIGH TEMPERATURE AIR COMBUSTION by Ashwani K. Gupta

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Energy Production?
A 15 MWth (thermal energy output) is the heat / steam
continually produced which when processed though a turbine
to generate electricity loses 60% of its heat. Roughly speaking
and based on household waste the reactor will generate 6
MWe or 6,000,000 watts of electricity per hour.
This is enough to continually run two medium sized schools
Based on 8000 hours of manual operation and waste at
3500kcal/ton you can burn roughly 40,000 tonne

Note: Plants are available in various sizes and are designed to meet client
specifications.
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Revenue from Waste?

environan will evaluate the economics of the business case of customer
interest based on the characteristic of the site and of the waste.
15MWt Plant Plant lifespan 30 years
Revenue from Generation
Generates 6000KWh at FIT rate of 0.092p per KWh equates to 12,055.00 per day
Based on 24Hr operation allowing for maintenance shutdown correction factor of 0.91 for ash removal.

This equates to 3,881,928 per annum

This allows for 2 week shutdown at Easter and Christmas Easter break would be used to conduct deep reactor clean and maintenance

Revenue from Landfill Savings

From April 2016 landfill tax will be 84.40 Per Tonne.
To incentivise waste collection companies to deliver to the plant a 30% saving is
suggested which equates to revenue per Tonne of 59.08 or 2,363,200.00 per
annum
Potential revenue for plant per annum 6,245,128.00
Plant will need 10 staff to operate with average salary of 32,500 per annum
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Setting the Standard for a more Sustainable World

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