Estimation of energy recovery and reduction of CO2 emissions in municipal solid waste power generation

Abstract

Using the heat from waste incineration to generate electricity requires the addition of generating equipment, while the manufacture, construction, and operation of this equipment also uses energy. And owing to the problem of superheater tube corrosion caused by the hydrogen chloride and other substances formed in conjunction with waste combustion, municipal solid waste (MSW) power generation cannot raise steam temperature very much, and generating efficiency is said to be low, at between 10 and 15%. However, we have found that, in terms of life cycle energy balance, MSW generation is about the same as currently operating commercial power plants. We also examined life cycle energy balance in relation to repowering, which is meant to increase MSW generating efficiency, and reburning, which is aimed at limiting both NO x and dioxin emissions. We found that these are effective methods for energy recovery, and that the gas turbines combined with waste incinerators for repowering have an optimum size that will improve overall efficiency.