Municipal solid waste as an energy resource: Mass-burn incineration or small-scale pyrolysis?

The issue of using municipal solid waste (MSW) as an energy source was presented and attempted to identify a more sustainable technology for energy recovery. The two technologies were evaluated and compared on a life cycle basis, using Life Cycle Assessment as a tool. Among other factors, the choice of a more sustainable technology depended on the motivation for using the technology, i.e., the service provided. If, for example, the main aim is to reduce the amount of solid waste reaching landfills and to comply with the EU Landfill Directive, then large-scale incineration was a more environmentally sustainable technology overall. If on the other hand, the aim is to recover energy from waste, a small-scale pyrolysis/gasification process was a better option. Understanding of both life cycle considerations and local conditions was essential in choosing the "appropriate technology". This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 7th World Congress of Chemical Engineering (Glasgow, Scotland 7/10-14/2005).