Use of Solid Recovered Fuels to Address Energy and Environmental Problems in Argentina

Abstract

In most megacities of Latin America and the Caribbean, the population and economic growth, the inefficient use of resources and energy, and the high levels of carbon dioxide emissions have led to due to unsustainable solid waste management and inequities in the access to sanitation services and energy access, and thus to several negative consequences like air and water pollution. One of these megacities is the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires (RMBA), Argentina, where the main treatment of solid waste is its final disposal in landfills. Thus, its recycling rates are low and its energy use is even lower. In industrialized countries, the production of Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) is a common practice. In contrast, in Argentina, SRF is produced by only one commercial and industrial waste (C&IW) treatment center for the cement industry. This chapter describes the production and quality of this SRF and the characteristics of the waste streams that are currently sent to landfill that could be incorporated into that production. In addition, the potential uses of SRF in the RMBA to replace natural gas are analyzed in three possible scenarios. The results for scenario 1 showed a current production of 32 t per month of Class II SRF, which allows a monthly replacement of 33,722 m3 of natural gas in the cement industry. The results for scenario 2 showed that 177.4 t per month of Class III SRF could be added and generate 210.97 MWh per month of electricity, replacing 86920.5 m3 per month of natural gas. Finally, the results of scenario 3 showed that the incorporation of the co-generation of electricity and heat for industrial use could replace 172379.23 m3 per month of natural gas with SRF.