Municipal Solid Waste Fueled Power Generation in China:  A Case Study of Waste-to-Energy in Changchun City

Abstract

With rapid economic growth and massive urbanization in China, many cities face the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal. With the lack of space for new landfills, waste-to-energy incineration is playing an increasingly important role in waste management. Incineration of MSW from Chinese cities presents some unique challenges because of its low calorific value (3000-6700 kJ/kg) and high water content (approximately 50%). This study reports a novel waste-to-energy incineration technology based on co-firing of MSW with coal in a grate-circulating fluidized bed (CFB) incinerator, which was implemented in the Changchun MSW power plant. In 2006, two 260 ton/day incinerators incinerated 137,325 tons, or approximately one/sixth of the MSW generated in Changchun, saving more than 0.2 million m3 landfill space. A total of 46.2 million kWh electricity was generated (38,473 tons lignite was also burned as supplementary fuel), with an overall fuel-to-electricity efficiency of 14.6%. Emission of air pollutants including particulate matters, acidic gases, heavy metals, and dioxins was low and met the emission standards for incinerators. As compared to imported incineration systems, this new technology has much lower capital and operating costs and is expected to play a role in meeting China's demands for MSW disposal and alternative energy.

Mercury in Municipal Solid Waste in China and Its Control: A Review

“…21 Only a few cities in China have introduced waste sorting, while waste items with resale values, such as metals and paper, are highly recycled by the informal recycling sector comprised of street pickers, dump pickers, and itinerant buyers. 21,22 A variety of mercury-containing products, such as batteries, fluorescent lamps, and thermometers, are discarded as household waste, thus the collection, transport, and disposal of MSW can contribute significantly to mercury emissions. Globally, it is estimated that waste disposal accounts for approximately 8% of the total anthropogenic mercury emissions.…”

Effect of Municipal Biowaste Biochar on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Metal Bioaccumulation in a Slightly Acidic Clay Rice Paddy

“…In addition, MBW in China is nearly half food waste and low in calorific values (3000 to 6700 kJ/kg) but has high moisture levels (Cheng and Hu 2010;Cheng et al 2007;Zhang et al 2008). Consequentially, incineration of MBW entails high capital investments and especially operational costs for incineration equipment, and may increase the risk of air pollutants (Nie 2008;Cheng et al 2007).…”

Mercury risk from fluorescent lamps in China: Current status and future perspective

“…Meanwhile, unprecedented rural-to-urban migration paralleled with the rapid economic growth, and 150-200 million people had moved from rural areas into cities since 1978 (Cheng and Hu, 2010a). Due to the lag in infrastructure development, management of the increasing volume of MSW generated has been a major challenge (Cheng and Hu, 2009, 2010b, 2010cCheng et al, 2007;Nie, 2008). Only 70.5% of the 157 million tonnes of MSW collected from 661 middle-size and large cities were sanitarily disposed of, in a total of 567 MSW management facilities in 2009 (NBS, 2010).…”