It has been shown in thermodynamic simulations of gasification that recycling up to 25% of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into a reformer allows for a highly hydrogen (H 2 ) concentrated syngas. While understanding thermodynamic limits is imperative, a kinetic analysis is desired to confirm applicability. Studies on thermal decomposition kinetics of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in CO 2 gasification atmosphere have been assessed. Using thermal gravimetric analysis, we can show that gasification may be modeled as a series of single step reactions and determine the activation energies, pre-exponential factors and reaction models of those reactions. The use of CO2/air atmosphere instead of air atmosphere results in better char conversion.

Unexpected and unusual emissions from a large, mass-burn, waste-to-energy facility caused persistent and elevated opacity readings of the facility’s continuous opacity monitor (COM), and generated a visible pink-purple-tinted plume emanating from the exhaust stack. Non-radioactive iodine associated with medical wastes was determined to be responsible. As iodine is a known respiratory irritant, questions arose regarding potential short-term health risks to nearby residents. The rate of emission of the apparent release was estimated by two different methods, and then compared with facility-specific knowledge of waste composition. First, based on inverse, worst-case air dispersion modeling, the level of iodine emission that would be necessary to cause potential discomfort/mild irritation to people living near the facility was determined. Second, the level of iodine emission that would be necessary to account for elevations of in-stack opacity observed throughout the event was calculated. The level of iodine emissions necessary to cause mild health effects was found to be substantially greater than the actual release level as inferred from the opacity data. Moreover, based on descriptions of visual inspections of the waste stream and potential opacity interferences created by complex in-stack chemistry, it is likely that the opacity-based calculations overestimate the amount of iodine released. Accordingly, actual impacts are likely to have been smaller than those estimated herein. This paper discusses the process and procedures used to assess the health risk from this incident.

The moving grate systems of waste-to-energy (WTE) mass-burn combustion chambers are designed for providing efficient flow and mixing of the municipal solid waste (MSW) over the length of the grade. This study presents results from a numerical analysis of the effect of number of reciprocating bars and reciprocation speed on the degree of mixing and residence time of MSW particles on the grate. A particle-based bed model of MSW and a physical model of reverse-acting grate were used in order to quantify the mixing diffusion coefficient of MSW particles. We analyzed the particle mixing with different parameters: particle size (d = 6–22cm diameter), reciprocation speed of moving bars (Rr = 0–90recip./h), and number of moving bars (Nb = 0 to 16 bars). This combination of mathematical modeling and experimental work has shown that: (1) different particle sizes result in different residence times, according to the Brazil Nut Effect (BNE) (2) The number of moving bars (from 0 to 16 bars) of a reverse-acting grate has the net effect of increasing the mean residence time of small and medium sized particles, while decreasing that of large particles. (3) The bar height, h, was found to be one of the major geometric parameters influencing mixing diffusion coefficient, D, and residence time.

The prevention of corrosion on boiler tube-walls has been a most difficult and cost intensive problem in WTE plants. This is specifically the case where the incineration boilers are operating with increased saturated steam temperatures and their corresponding pressures. In addition, variations in the garbage mixtures, with differing values of chemical content and varying waste composition give importance to the prevention of boiler tube corrosion. Several refractory lining systems and types have been installed over the previous 80 years and can be compared. In the early stages it began with simple concrete installations and only later was it developed to use heat resistant ceramic products, now essentially silicon carbide. 20 years ago cement or chemically bonded SiC monolithics (gunning, trowelling or casting materials) were usually installed to protect boiler walls, but today fabricated and fired SiC tiles, with their enhanced properties, are mainly used. A distinction is made between hanging and bolted tiles, as well as between oxide bonded and nitride bonded SiC material and between mortared, backfilled and rear ventilated tiles. All these systems were carefully examined and assessed. It proved possible to develop a revolutionary heat conduction and corrosion protection system utilising air. An air gap between the refractory SiC tiles and the boiler wall proved to be both simple and successful. By means of detailed and systematic documentation and monitoring, including J + G’ s “Air” tiling system, it has, for a few years, been possible to offer and recommend long lasting refractory linings with the aim of protecting boiler walls against corrosion, reducing operating costs and using the energy of the waste in an optimum manner.

Emission regulations throughout the world continue to tighten, creating technical and economic challenges for various industries. The U.S. has proposed strict emissions limits that include mercury (Hg), particulate matter (PM) and a growing focus on NOx, while Europe is focusing more aggressively on reducing Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and PM emissions first. Innovative new technologies are being developed and introduced to meet proposed emissions levels for industries such as waste to energy facilities, Cement clinker producers and Sintering processes. Catalytically active ceramic or textile filter media have been applied over the past 15 years ensuring a simultaneous removal of PM, NOx and PCDD/F-compounds. A new textile filter type containing 2 filter bags (bag-over-bag) has recently been designed for such a multi-functional approach at elevated filter temperatures (T>170°C) where PMs are filtered on an ePTFE membrane (1 st layer) and NOx is reduced by a catalytic reaction (2 nd layer) with NH 3 injected upstream. The separate bag construction enables the removal of the catalytic inner bag once it has been deactivated by ammonium-(bi)-sulphates. An appropriate regeneration process outside the bagfilter was developed for such new DeNOx system. The implementation of this 2-layer filter bag concept into existing Air Pollution Control (APC) systems and the catalyst management has been demonstrated on full-scale at the waste to energy facility of Acegas APS Padova (Italy). Emissions of NOx (as NO2) < 70mg/Nm 3 with NH 3 <3mg/Nm 3 with PM<0,5mg/Nm 3 can be constantly achieved. The implementation of this filter bag system achieves highest energy efficiency, lowest costs for consumables when it is applied in dry sorption filters at elevated temperatures. In U.S., the strong demand for lowest Hg emission promotes innovative solutions for efficient and reliable Hg removal. Hg can be efficiently captured in a new fixed sorbent bed technology which is installed downstream the baghouse. This paper presents the innovative concepts for multi-functional filter as well as for Hg removal, showing also field data of both new technologies.

High temperature corrosion via chlorine is a key factor in the degradation of boiler tubes in waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. Corrosion rates are particularly high in the superheater where material temperatures may exceed 450°C and where carbon or low alloy steels may be used. Although increasing sulfur, in the form of SO 2 , in WTE flue gas has been shown in previous works to have potential for decreasing the corrosion of these materials, the inhibitive effect is not well understood. This work investigated the corrosion of SA178A, a low carbon steel alloy (0.07 wt% C), and NSSER-4, a stainless steel (17.3Cr-13.1Ni-2.5 Si-Fe), via exposure under various well-defined environments, SO 2 :HCl ratios between 1:8 to 2:1 (HCl fixed at 800 ppm), 8% O 2 , 12% CO 2 , 0 and 15% H 2 O, N 2 (balance) at 500°C in a horizontal tube furnace for 50 hours. Additional coupon testing was performed on NSSER-4 after application of 4 mg/cm 2 ± 10% NaCl or Na 2 SO 4 at 500 and 700°C for 24 hours to assess the impact of higher SO 2 in the against both deposit and gaseous corrosion. Specimen preparation and corrosion assessment followed ASTM method G1-03. Experiments demonstrated little to no trends in corrosion rates at SO 2 :HCl ratios between 1:8–2:1 under mixed gas environment. However corrosion reduction was observed when SO 2 :HCl was increased from a reference condition of 1:8 to greater than 1.4:1 in tests with NaCl present, which was also not observed under dry conditions. These results suggest that one possible explanation for the reduction of boiler materials corrosion rate with higher concentrations of SO 2 may be largely attributed to the conversion of metal chlorides to sulfates.

Recent attention in the North American market has focused on managing food waste biologically using anaerobic digestion (AD) technology, which produces a biogas that can be used to generate electricity and a digestate or residue that can be used as a fertilizer, or composted and used as a soil amendment. The increased focus on AD is driven by the desire to increase waste diversion rates and a perception that AD is a “greener” approach to managing food waste than landfilling or conventional waste-to-energy (WTE) technology. Policy makers in some cases have already concluded that AD of source separated organics is preferable to landfilling and WTE. While the environmental benefits of AD over landfilling are obvious, especially for landfill sites without active gas collection systems, the benefits are less clear when compared to conventional WTE technology since relatively little analysis has been performed to date. Two environmental considerations often associated with being a “green technology” are energy recovery potential and greenhouse gas generation. This paper examines the amount of energy that can be produced by treating food waste biologically using AD compared to treating the same material thermally using mass burn WTE, which is the most commonly used WTE technology. The impact on net greenhouse gas emissions, namely carbon dioxide generation, from each technology is also compared taking into account a variety of factors including differences in the percentage of the feedstock carbon converted to carbon dioxide, the amount of fossil fuel avoided as a result of power generation, and the amount of vehicle emissions associated with collection and transportation of source separated food waste. This paper also compares other important considerations such as capital and operating costs, residuals management, and odor control.

New York City (NYC) annually generates an estimated 750,000 short tons of municipal plastic waste (MPW), 84% of which is landfilled. This study examined the potential of using NYC’s non-recycled plastics (NRP) as feedstock for three pyrolysis processes developed in North America: the P2O process of JBI Inc., the Agilyx process, and the Climax Global Energy process. All three processes decompose plastic waste by heating to a temperature range of 300–500°C by means of an external energy source. The P2O process requires the least amount of electricity per ton of MPW because it uses the gas product of pyrolysis to heat the continuous flow reactor. The P2O technology appears to be suitable for application in NYC and is discussed in detail in this paper.

The art of refining liquid hydrocarbons (crude oil) into diesel, gasoline, and fuel oils was commercially scaled decades ago. Unfortunately, refineries are technologically limited to accepting only a very narrow range of liquid hydrocarbons with very specific properties and minimal contaminates. Unrecyclable, hydrocarbon-based waste is a significant environmental problem increasing every year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 Facts and Figures report, over 92% of waste plastic is not recycled and with a growth rate of approximately 8% per year, there exists a critical need for a viable and environmentally sound, general purpose hydrocarbon-based recycling process. Hydrocarbon streams that fall outside of accepted refinery standards have traditionally been landfilled or melted into products of low value. The barriers and challenges are so great that previous attempts to refine waste plastics into fuel resulted in unviable batch-based machines producing low-value, unstable mixed fuels. However, over the course of three years JBI, Inc. (“JBI”) has broken through these barriers and has designed and built a viable commercial-scale continuous refinery capable of processing a wide-range of hydrocarbon-based waste into ASTM specification fuels. Research and testing of scale-up through 1-gallon, 3000 gallon, multi-kiln, and 40 ton/day processors took place in a plant in Niagara Falls, NY. Technical challenges encountered and lessons learned during process development will be explained in detail. In 2009, our technology was “molecularly audited” by IsleChem, LLC (“IsleChem”) of Grand Island, NY and in 2012, the full-scale plant was viably validated by SAIC Energy, Environment & Infrastructure, LLC (“SAIC”). Numerous sources of waste plastic and users of the resulting fuel products conducted extensive audits of the technology, process, and plant. For the purpose of this paper, processing of waste plastics will be discussed in detail; however, this technology can be applied to other waste hydrocarbon-based materials such as contaminated monomers, waste oils, lubricants and other composite waste streams.

Thermal treatment of waste using grate-based systems has gained world-wide acceptance as the preferred method for sustainable management of residual waste. However, in order to maintain this position and respond to new challenges and/or priorities, it is necessary to further develop innovative concepts that use safe process engineering technology in terms of climate and resource protection as well as reduction of environmental impacts. MARTIN, in collaboration with research institutes, successfully developed and optimized a multi-stage combustion process in the 1990s. Various pilot and full-scale studies and tests followed. Based on this knowledge, MARTIN and its cooperation partners COVANTA ENERGY (USA), CNIM (F) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (JP) developed the Very Low NO x (VLN) process as a large-scale primary measure for NO x reduction. MARTIN’s next step was to develop the Very Low NO x gasification mode (VLN-GM) process. This process has been implemented directly in continuous operation at an industrial-scale Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plant in Switzerland. In VLN-GM operation, the excess air rate in the gas above the grate is decreased from λ = 1.2 to about 0.8. The characteristics of municipal solid waste make it suitable for the generation of heat and power. While boiler concepts implemented in the past often focused on factors such as high availability, reduced downtimes and minimized maintenance costs, measures to increase the efficiency of the overall process are also growing in importance. Energy efficiency can be increased by optimizing boiler efficiency itself on the one hand, and on the other hand by improving peripheral plant devices, in particular by improving energy recovery through changes in the steam parameters. MARTIN has developed corrosion-protected wall and radiant superheater solutions, located in the upper furnace area, and installed these as prototypes in full-scale plants. As a result, steam can be heated about 35 °C (90 °F) in excess of the current state-of-the-art parameters without adversely affecting plant operation due to superheater corrosion. This paper documents that innovative concepts using MARTIN technology successfully provide solutions for a grate-based conversion technology (VLN-GM) as well as measures for increasing the energy efficiency of Energy-from-Waste plants.

The size and shape of New York City municipal solid waste (NYCMSW) and combustion residues (ashes) are numerically analyzed in order to investigate the size reduction of particles on the grate of a waste-to-energy (WTE) combustion chamber. It is also necessary for designing a new combustion chamber, due to the heterogeneous MSW particles. About 360 MSW particles for this study were sampled in the black bags collected in residential areas at five boroughs of New York City. Also about 210 ash particles from a WTE combustion chamber were sampled. Length, breadth, perimeter and area of each MSW and ash particle are measured by means of image analysis that is more accurate than sieve analysis. Based on the image analysis, the particle size distributions (PSiD) and particle shape distributions (PShD) of MSW and residues were created. The mean size of NYCMSW was found to be 12.8cm and standard deviation of the MSW PSiD to be 6.4. Also mean size and standard deviation of the ash PSiD to be 2.4cm and 0.5889, respectively. Also Three types of shape factors (aspect ratio, roundness and sphericity) are used for creating 3 PShDs (aspect-ratio distributions, roundness distributions and sphericity distributions). Based on the similarity of the particle shapes quantified as these shape factors, the particles of MSW and residues are divided into 9 clusters by means of cluster analysis. This cluster analysis showed categorized characteristics of particle shapes that can be used for predicting surface areas of particles and mobility of particles in MSW bed on the traveling grate, both of which are major parameters for simulating combustion process in WTE systems.

ASME PTC 34 is a test procedure for determining the thermal capacity and thermal efficiency of systems (typically boilers) combusting waste fuels (typically Municipal Solid Waste - MSW) and for determining the higher heating value (HHV) of those waste fuels. The basis of the procedure is more commonly known as the “boiler-as-a-calorimeter” method. The need for PTC 34 arose from the difficulties in obtaining representative samples and accurate fuel analyses using traditional laboratory methods such as a “bomb calorimeter”. Unsuccessful attempts were made to come up with a larger “bomb calorimeter”, so a committee was formed to create PTC 34 which was published in 2007. ASME PTC 34 is firmly based on the widely accepted boiler test code, ASME PTC 4 – “Fired Steam Generators”, but has several different challenges in having to measure the relatively difficult parameters of flue gas flow and moisture and fuel and ash quantities. As a result, the uncertainty of PTC 34 is higher. However, the philosophy of correcting results to standard, contract or reference fuel analysis is the same in PTC 4 and PTC 34. So, an industry approved Code for acceptance testing is available to the Energy-from-Waste industry. ASME PTC 34 can be used in several ways depending on the analysis time period. It can be used for typical short-term, i.e. 8-hour, performance or acceptance tests, again with the ability to correct to reference fuel analyses. Alternatively, multiple “samples” of fuel HHV can be obtained using PTC 34. With the test data and HHV results, accurate correlations can then be generated to be able to make adjustments for varying fuel conditions in longer term, i.e. 7-day, throughput capacity testing. The 8-hour HHV determinations can also be used to validate or even calibrate correlations used over the life of a waste combustor as operating parameters stray from their normal ranges. Taken to the extreme, PTC 34 can be used as a basis for near-real-time monitoring of fuel quality or possibly combustion control. Recent developments of laser-based flue gas moisture instruments and the economizer heat balance method for determining flue gas flow make this leap possible. The goals of this paper are to make the industry more aware of ASME PTC 34 and the guidance it contains on making the difficult measurements, to promote its use as a standard in the industry and to instill confidence in the time-tested and accepted process of making corrections to test results for off-design fuel characteristics.

In order to maximize the beneficial use of waste materials within its jurisdiction, the Western Placer Waste Management Authority (Authority) is exploring the economic, technical, and regulatory feasibility of recovering energy from waste residues delivered to its waste management facility. The purpose of the Study is to support the results of the Authority’s analysis of the emissions associated with converting municipal solid waste (MSW) residuals currently being landfilled into energy as compared to current waste disposal practices.

This study was undertaken to better understand the governing processes and reaction conditions under which NO x is produced in Waste to Energy (WtE) boilers. A three dimensional CFD model was created and calculated using the GRI 3.0, 50 species, 309 step detailed chemical kinetic model (DCKM) for methane/ethane combustion. Model results for primary NO x emissions and other pollutants agree well with collected data, proving the fidelity of the model. NO was the primary pollutant accounting for approximately 99% of the total NO x emissions. Fuel bound nitrogen was found to be the main source of NO produced in the boiler with thermal and prompt mechanisms having lesser impacts. Three principal intermediates were identified in the formation of NO; NH, HNO, and NCO. The assumption of fuel nitrogen conversion to either NH 3 or HCN is an unknown parameter that was shown to have a small impact on NO emissions, indicating that this is an area that should not be explored further in this continuing study. Furthermore, varying the boiler pressure had a small impact on final NO emissions, indicating that this is not a condition that should be considered for plant operation. The next phase of this research will include the development of a reduced DCKM in order to expedite the running of new scenarios for future studies as well as optimization of boiler geometry and combustion mixing to achieve the lowest possible NO x emissions.

One way of biomass and/or waste recycling is its thermochemical conversion into combustible gas. Mainly composed of CO,H 2 and CH 4 , the gas may also contain varying amounts of impurities (dust, polluting products, tar or soot). Specifically, there is a tar problem: their high condensation temperature is incompatible with an industrial utilization. They can cause rapid fouling, corrosion and abrasion into turbines or engines. Proposed by EUROPLASMA, the CHO-Power process aims to generate electricity from a mixture of municipal waste and biomass using a fixed bed gasifier with conventional gas treatment. Its specificity consists of an unit called Turboplasma. This stage allows to reach very high temperature in order to obtain temperature around 1600K, and so to degrade all tars present, even heavier. Indeed, EUROPLASMA built a gasification pilot unit based on fluidized bed technology, (called KIWI) to qualify the synthesis gas produced. TURBOPLASMA pilot scale will be installed there. The objective of this work is the design of this high temperature stage thanks to numerical modeling. Reaction scheme used previously [4] to modelize tar degradation in the Turboplasma of CHO-Power, has been improved: a discrete phase modeling has been added providing a better view of the TURBOPLASMA internal behavior. Indeed, char particles from syngas can significantly change the reactor performance. This study shows that char particles react primarily with the H 2 O and CO 2 . Char gasification takes place in areas of high velocity and temperature gradient. Increased understanding of aerodynamics inside the reactor allows a better estimate of the overall performance of the reactor. Performance evaluation of the reactor is based on a set of parameters such as levels of heat loss, velocity gradient, mixing quality, residence time.

One of the major barriers to gasification is the need for elimination of tars that are generated in thermochemical conversion processes. While metal catalysts can be used for tar decomposition, and cheaper alternative is char. Deactivation of char catalysts has been studied and these deactivation rates have been applied to a model for a gasification system. The calculations and experimental data presented here show that if the char from a gasifier is recycled to a tar reformer then some char deactivation will take place, but the activity will not fall below 40% of its initial activity. The energy penalty for diverting char, a potential heat source, to a catalytic reactor has been accounted for. This was done by comparing the heating value of char to the heating value of syngas generated from reforming tar using the char as a catalyst. At high gasification temperatures, when tar production in the gasifier was low, the char had a higher heating value than the syngas that was produced from tar reforming. At low temperatures, the heating value of the syngas exceeded that of the char combustion, which implies an overall energy benefit.

Process optimization of Waste to Energy plants (WtE plants) is of particular interest because control performance is crucial for the profitability of the overall operation of the plant. WtE plants represent very large investments and an optimal efficiency in operation is crucial for the return of the investment. Process optimization including optimal control of the abnormal operating situations when the waste quality is out of the normal range is thus very attractive in order to increase the profitability and efficiency of the waste incineration operations. This presentation will describe how high-level control based on expert system can be used in a practical and convenient way to provide a more efficient operation of a WtE plant and provide a capacity increase of 3–6% or more and thereby be a very attractive investment for an existing or new WtE plant operator.

Currently, there are 86 communities in the U.S. which employ waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities as a means of high quality solid waste disposal. The WTE process beneficially produces electricity while reducing the volume of landfill waste by up to 90 percent, thereby extending the remaining life of a community’s landfill more than ten-fold. However, the traditional WTE process requires a significant volume of water. This interdependency is often referred to as the “water-energy nexus.” An innovative approach was needed to optimize water conservation for a new 3,000-ton-per-day (TPD) mass burn WTE facility in Palm Beach County (PBREF2). With this in mind, a cascading water management system (CWMS) was developed that uses alternative water supply sources and a cascading hierarchy of water systems that maximize reuse to meet the new facility’s water needs. The selection of an air-cooled condenser to be used for cooling purposes, instead of the wet cooling systems traditionally in place at these facilities will also significantly reduce the amount of water needed in the overall process. The WTE facility will be constructed adjacent to an existing 2,000-TPD refuse-derived fuel facility (PBREF1), allowing beneficial reuse of some of the cooling tower blowdown from the RDF facility as a source of supply water in the new facility. The reuse of this process wastewater will conserve clean water sources that otherwise would have to be used as a source of makeup to the new facility, as well as reduce the amount of wastewater disposed through deep-well injection from the RDF facility. Harvested rainwater and industrial supply well water will also be used as alternative sources of supply to the new facility. The innovative CWMS will maximize reuse and reduce the amount of makeup water needed to the system. As water conservation continues to be of high concern in all areas of the globe, this concept can be applied to other WTE and industrial facilities. This paper will provide an overview of the innovative CWMS that has been designed for the PBREF2 facility.

Two major new Waste-To-Energy (WTE) Projects have received Air Construction Permits under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program during the past two years and a third is scheduled to receive its permit prior to NAWTEC 20. These new facilities are being required to operate with significantly lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and other major air pollutants than similar existing US facilities. This paper will explore the permitting process on these three projects and the divergent approaches being taken by the applicants to meet the stringent emission requirements imposed by the PSD permits. The Palm Beach County (Florida) Renewable Energy Facility No. 2 (PBREF No. 2) will be a three unit, 3,000 ton per day (tpd) mass burn facility which will utilize Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems similar to that used in many recent European WTE facilities for NO x control. The Fairfield (Maryland) Renewable Energy (Fairfield) and Aercibo (Puerto Rico) Renewable Energy (Aercibo) Projects are each two unit, 2,106 tpd Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facilities which will utilize regenerative SCR (RSCR ® ) systems. This will be the first time RSCR ® has been used in a WTE application. All three permits require achievement of a NO x emission rate of 45 parts per million by volume at 7% O 2 dry basis (ppmvd). PBREF No. 2 and Fairfield received PSD permits from delegated state programs prior to the new Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and condensable PM 2.5 permitting rules going into effect at the beginning of 2011. Aercibo is being permitted by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II and will reflect new GHG and condensable PM 2.5 permitting rules. This paper discusses the approach to the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) and Lowest Achievement Emission Rate (LAER) determinations and differences in final permit requirements.

For the waste disposal of urban areas and major cities at the North American market place rather large scale energy from waste (EfW) plants are needed. This implies a mechanical input of approx. 40 Mg/h [39.36 tn l./h] and thermal input by waste per unit of 110 MW [375.3 MBTU/h] and more. There are basic design criteria that feature large scale EfW plants: - Layout of boiler with horizontal or vertical orientation of convective part. - Top or bottom suspension of boiler. - Flexible design of stoker regarding large throughput figures and heating values of waste with water or air cooled grate bars. - Design and geometry of combustion furnace in order to optimize the flow pattern. - Optimization of boiler steel structure: integrated steel structure for boiler and boiler house enclosure. - Optimization of corrosion protection and maintainability of large scale boilers: cladding versus refractory lining. - Maintenance aspects of the boiler. The paper gives information on the pros and cons regarding the design features with special focus on optimized solutions for large scale EfW plants. For the core component of the combustion system — the grate — Fisia Babcock Environment (FBE) is using forward moving grates as well as roller grates. The moving grate in STEINMÜLLER design, which is used in the great majority of all our plants, has specific characteristics for providing uniform combustion and optimal burnout. The automatic combustion rate control system is the key component in the combustion process in order to receive good burn out quality in slag and flue gas as well as constant steam production and oxygen content of flue gas. This paper includes a detailed report on a modern control system with focus on a simple and efficient control structure. Besides these measures regarding the combustion process, this paper also reports about the respective aspects and concepts for the flue gas cleaning systems. In this field the FBE CIRCUSORB ® process was presented in previous papers and is now compared with a multistage wet flue gas cleaning system. The latter is relevant in case of very low emission requirements.