RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste · RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste...

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RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste RECUWATT Conference: Recycling and Energy Mataró, October 4 5, 2012 Hermann Krähling on behalf of Managing Director tecpol [email protected] www.tecpol.de

Transcript of RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste · RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste...

RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste

RECUWATT Conference: Recycling and Energy Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012

Hermann Krähling – on behalf of Managing Director tecpol [email protected] www.tecpol.de

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 2

RDF: Alternative Fuel tailor-made from Waste

• What is RDF? • Why to develop RDF-routes? • What is the potential of RDF for the Energy Supply of Spain?

How to exploit the resource potential of waste? • RDF & End-of-Waste discussion • Conclusions

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 3

What is RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel)?

Some believe, that

▶ RDF = mere (plastic) Waste ▶ RDF-use = camouflaged old-fashioned incineration

RDF is tailor-made Alternative Fuel • To meet market requirements of specialized power plants, cement kilns,… • Manufactured by dedicated RDF producers • Controlled with regard to composition, heating value, contaminants • Efficiently valorizing combustibles from waste (plastics, wood, paper, textiles,…)

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 4

What is RDF?

Mixed calorific fractions RDF-producer

Packaging waste

Sorting

Recyclables Residues

MSWI/landfill

Agricultural waste

Sorting

Residual household waste

MBTs

Commercial waste

Sorting

Recyclables Residues

MSWI/landfill

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 5

What is RDF?

Composition & properties Comments

Plastics [%] 15 40 Attractive: Heating value

Paper [%] 15 40

Wood [%] 5 25 Attractive: CO2-credits

Other (bio-) waste [%] 5 40

Inerts [%] 2 15 Extra payments for > 10 %

Heating value [MJ/kg] 12 > 30 Positive price for > 25 MJ/kg

Restrictions

Chlorine content [%] < 1 preferred Extra payment for > 1 %

Sb, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Se, Ag, Th, V, Zn,…

User specific limits

Moisture, size, incineration properties,…

User specific requests

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 6

RDF use vs. MSW incineration

Heating value [MJ/kg] < 10 > 25

Restrictions / Requests low high

MSWIs • High gate fees • Environmental

gains depend on energy recipient infrastructure

RDF power plants • moderate gate fees • Clear environmental

gains due to continuous energy delivery

Cement (lime) kilns,… • Positive RDF price possible • Significant environmental

gains (best energy use) - comparable or superior to mixed plastics recycling

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 7

Why to develop RDF-routes?

Resource efficiency & environmental protection

• Land filling (energy) resources is no longer an acceptable option Sustainable waste management needs RDF-routes & MSWIs to supplement recycling Using mixed (plastic-rich) combustibles as RDF is superior to recycling

• Specific CO2-emissions of energy from RDF are below respective emissions from natural gas

• RDF-use is technically well-proven, safe, and compliant with strict emissions control

Economics & energy supply

• RDF-use offers an opportunity to disburden from volatile fuel markets

• 5 – 10 % of the industry energy demand can be supplied by RDF

• RDF power plants are particularly attractive for continuous heat but but also for combined heat & power supply

Market optimizes Recovery Mix

Recovery competes with landfill

costs [€/t]

0

50

100

revenues

Mechanical recycling – homogeneous/clean fractions economy driven – limited by collection/treatment costs + market requests

SRF-use – mixed fractions together with other caloric feed – limited by collection/treatment costs + markets requests

Energy recovery in MSWI – mixed fractions together with other caloric feed

No/ expensive

„Cheap“

Availability of landfills

Spain

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 9

RDF potential for energy supply in Spain Note: Based on tecpol internal, publically available & Cicloplast information

Household waste (estimations based on data for waste plastics)

Sales packaging

73 % total recovery

57 % recycling 43 % energy

27 % disposal

Residual household waste

MBTs no separation of calorifics

90 % disposal

Potential additional source for RDF production

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 10

RDF potential for energy supply in Spain Note: Based on tecpol internal & publically available information

Commercial & industrial waste (estimations based on data for waste plastics)

Commercial waste

15 % energy 85 % disposal

Agricultural waste

60 % disposal

< 35 % recycling < 10 % energy

Potential additional source for RDF production

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 11

RDF potential for energy supply in Spain Note: Based on tecpol internal & publically available information

Estimation of total RDF potential

1.3 Mio. t/a plastics waste

disposed off today

• Corresponding to 60 PJ/a primary energy 5 % of industrial energy demand in Spain

• Import dependency of energy sources 75 %

• Countries with well developed RDF-routes use 25 % to produce RDF

• Typically waste plastics contribute 20% to RDF

Additional 1.6 Mio. t/a RDF

total 4 Mio. t/a RDF

2.4 Mio. t/a RDF-production

(reported 2010)

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 12

Exploit the resource potential of waste in Spain: Divert calorific waste from landfills

Management of plastics waste

in Germany

Landfill ban

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 13

RDF & End-of-Waste discussion

According to the European Waste Framework Directive Article 6 Certain specified waste shall cease to be waste… [provided that]

• the substance or object is commonly used for specific purposes

• a market or demand exists for such a substance or object

• the substance or object fulfils the technical requirements for the specific purposes and meets the existing legislation and standards applicable to products

• the use of the substance or object will not lead to overall adverse environmental or human health impacts

JRC/IPTS proposals for end-of-waste requirements with regard to waste plastics

• are restricted to MECHANICAL RECYCLING of waste plastics

• (implicitly) demand – amongst others – compliance with REACh, CLP,….

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 14

Should RDF cease to be Waste?

PROs

• RDF users would not be obliged to comply with waste specific regulations • RDF shipment would be facilitated • The image of RDF might be improved • …?

CONs

• RDF producers would be obliged to comply with REACh, CLP,… • In consequence sources to produce RDF would be dramatically limited • In consequence RDF economics would most likely be not competitive • An end-of-waste discussion for RDF may well be perceived as a bogus attempt • …?

RECUWATT Conference Recycling and Energy – Mataró, October 4 – 5, 2012 Slide 15

Conclusions

RDF routes are attractive and responsible options in a resource oriented waste management

• Mixed calorific waste fractions are valorized efficiently • Significant environmental gains are proven • RDF contributes to a sustainable energy supply infrastructure – particularly for industry

To exploit the RDF potential in Spain political frameworks oriented towards resource efficiency should be developed further

• Calorific waste should be diverted from landfills • Experiences from other countries show that landfill bans / restrictions direct

private money into improved waste collection, sorting and recovery infrastructure