Waste to Energy Strategy and Approach for Ireland

Waste to Energy (WTE) is a viable and vital resource to Ireland. Due to its geographic location, strategically located between the U.S. and Europe, Ireland has inherent advantages when it comes to gaining technical knowledge. As an island country with its size it has exaggerated waste elimination problems. Power generation in Ireland is distorted by the size of the island and Irelands recent high-tech business boom has had an affect too. These two items, power and waste, overlap and can be addressed (in part) with one solution. Products not produced in Ireland are imported. The residue of these products is garbage. Therefore the garbage is constantly being imported to the island and never expelled. Landfill space in Ireland is diminishing — rapidly. “Not in my backyard!” is a principal attitude of the public and with good reason. Refuse is a health threat. Landfill tax legislation is changing and the price is rising to €19/tonne and heading for €32/tonne. Converting waste to energy as part of a recycling process garnishes public support because the resource of rubbish is managed in a manner that appeals to common sense. It is a solution that takes into account the public health and providence of the island. If waste is sorted and classified as economically recyclable (i.e. marketable) it is reclaimed and reused. If waste is sorted and classified as economically un-recyclable by conventional methods it is then evaluated for its energy value in power generation and thermal conversion to basic elemental products. The classification process determines the value of waste products, therefore the economic implications of their use either by recycling the waste and thermally eliminating it while generating electricity and/or by producing recycled products. This paper presents a waste recycling/generation project concept that includes waste stream separation, refuse-derived fuels, waste gasification/generation and renewable power resource integration.