The challenges of waste incineration for power generation remain unsolved

The prospects for waste incineration for power generation are promising. Currently, the main methods for dealing with urban waste include landfilling, composting, and incineration for power generation; in most cities in China, landfilling is the primary method used to handle domestic waste. Landfilling can lead to secondary pollution of groundwater resources, while composting is unable to handle the inorganic substances present in household waste. **Zhang Ping, president of the Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in the renewable energy industry, said that, in comparison, waste incineration for power generation boasts significant advantages such as being harmless, helping to reduce waste volume, and enabling resource utilization, thus truly turning waste into treasure. It is understood that China generates as much as 250 million tons of household waste each year, accounting for one-quarter of the world’s total, and this amount is expected to increase at a rate of 8%-10% for a considerable period of time. Among them, large and medium-sized cities in our country generate 161 million tons of household waste each year. There is an abundance of waste resources, which provides the conditions for the development of waste-to-energy generation.

Zhang Ping said that fully recycling urban household waste for power generation can help save other forms of energy. Based on China’s current annual waste production of 250 million tons, and using an average lower calorific value of 900 kcal/kg, this is equivalent to 32.14 million tons of standard coal. If 35% is used for waste incineration to generate electricity, the annual power output can reach 26.2 billion kilowatts, resulting in significant economic benefits. In recent years, the development of waste incineration for power generation in our country has progressed rapidly, showing exponential growth. By the end of 2015, China had built 220 waste incineration power plants, with a total processing capacity of 210,000 tons per day. “‘By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China’s waste incineration capacity is expected to reach around 620,000 tons per day; therefore, an additional capacity of over 300,000 tons per day is needed for waste-to-energy generation, which is equivalent to building 300 new waste incineration plants with a capacity of 1,000 tons per day each. ”Guo Yungao said that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the market for waste incineration power generation in China holds great potential.

Furthermore, in November 2016, four ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Environmental Protection jointly issued the \"Opinions on Further Strengthening the Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste,\" calling for the construction of high-standard clean incineration facilities. At the same time, existing waste incineration plants were to undergo special rectification efforts addressing issues related to technical processes and the operation and management of equipment; those that failed to meet the required standards were to be shut down in accordance with the law； In December, the **Energy Administration’s ‘13th Five-Year Plan for Biomass Energy Development’ called for accelerating the use of modern waste incineration and pollution control technologies, improving the environmental standards associated with waste-to-energy generation, and steadily developing urban waste incineration for power production, with the goal of reaching 7.5 million kilowatts of capacity in this area. **With increasingly stringent policies, the prospects for waste incineration power generation in our country are promising.

Challenges in waste incineration for power generation: Cities are under pressure from excessive waste, and waste incineration is considered the best solution, as it not only reduces environmental pollution caused by waste but also generates significant economic benefits. However, the development of waste incineration for power generation in our country has encountered many obstacles, one of the key reasons being the emission of the carcinogenic substance dioxins. Guo Yungao said that after nearly 30 years of development in China’s waste incineration power generation technology, core equipment such as waste incinerators, waste heat boilers, turbines, generators, and flue gas treatment systems have all been domestically produced. This technology is mature and reliable, enabling effective detection, control, and prevention of dioxins, and it has reached an internationally leading level. However, some companies, in practice, do not discharge emissions in accordance with ** and industry-related standards. Zhang Ping also said that, in fact, dioxins generated by waste incineration for power generation can be completely controlled by focusing on two key aspects: first, ensuring complete combustion ； Second is the addition of activated carbon. At present, in China’s cities, the low quality of waste sorting results in a very low calorific value of municipal solid waste; therefore, a large amount of fuel (coal) must be added during combustion, which leads to significantly higher costs for power generation. Some waste-to-energy plants have even ended up relying mainly on coal, turning into small thermal power plants. Most importantly, burning waste with a high water content increases the emission of harmful gases. Furthermore, some waste-to-energy plants, in pursuit of profit, did not use sufficient amounts of fuel such as diesel to control costs, resulting in furnace temperatures that did not meet the required standards ； Adding activated carbon is also just for show, as the cost of using it is higher. These have created obstacles to the development of waste-to-energy generation in our country.

How to address the challenges of waste incineration for power generation? Although China’s waste incineration for power generation technology has made continuous progress and has reached international advanced levels, and thanks to strong policy support, this sector is developing rapidly with broad market prospects, it still faces challenges such as increasingly strict emission standards, NIMBYism, and fierce competition. How can these challenges be overcome to further promote the healthy and rapid development of waste incineration power generation in our country? Zhang Ping said that, first, it is necessary to turn \"NIMBYism\" into \"neighborhood benefit.\" It must be said that it is normal for the public to raise questions without understanding the processes involved in waste incineration, its development, and its emissions; they have the right to be informed about matters related to their health. Moreover, in waste incineration projects, any mistake at any stage can lead to serious environmental hazards; therefore, the public’s concerns are not unfounded. “Mobilizing public enthusiasm, ensuring that as many residents as possible have the right to direct participation and can experience the benefits of large-scale infrastructure firsthand, informing the public about the advantages and disadvantages, providing thorough and patient clarification of doubts, and paying attention to aesthetic considerations in the design of buildings – these are some of the main approaches used by the UK to address the ‘NIMBY effect’. ”Brown, the official in charge of public relations for the London Borough of Brent, said that even the smallest projects affect everyone’s interests directly; since individuals have different views, it is normal to have both support and opposition. “There are no technical issues with waste incineration for power generation; it is a matter of mindset. After understanding the formation and hazards of dioxins, as well as the relationship between dioxins and waste incineration, waste incineration power generation companies should take more active steps to promote standardized incineration processes, so that more members of the public can become aware of and understand this industry. ”Guo Yungao also said that **stricter emission standards should be established, the location of waste incineration power plants should be planned in a unified manner, and research and development in this field should continue to be strengthened to ensure the sustainable development of waste incineration power generation. Second, strengthen waste sorting efforts and establish a comprehensive system for the treatment of sorted waste. Among these, the collection, storage, and transportation systems need to be improved; closed-system collection and transportation should be widely adopted to enable separate collection and transportation of dry and wet waste. Enhance the capabilities for treating and disposing of landfill leachate, treating and disposing of incineration ash, and addressing odors. More importantly, it is necessary to strengthen the refined management of waste incineration power generation technology. The purpose of refined management in waste incineration power generation technology is to strengthen technical management and innovation throughout the entire process of research and development, engineering construction, and operation management of waste incineration equipment. This is an important condition for improving the level of management in waste incineration operations, and it serves as a guarantee and driving force for achieving efficient, safe, and environmentally sustainable production management. Through refined management using waste incineration technology, the process of waste incineration is made more systematic, standardized, data-driven, and informational, ensuring zero pollution emissions at every stage of waste-to-energy generation.

Not long ago, the draft of the \"Mandatory Waste Sorting System\" jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development stipulated that by the end of 2020, domestic waste in key cities should be effectively sorted; a legal and regulatory framework as well as standard systems for waste sorting should be established, and the recycling rate of domestic waste should reach over 35%. Mao Da, deputy director of the Panshi Energy and Environment Research Institute, believes that: “Implementing source-based sorting still requires legal mandates; many places adopt a policy of not accepting items that have not been sorted, nor assuming legal responsibility in such cases. The so-called ‘mandatory sorting’ should be reflected in this regard.” ” Li Jiajian, head of the Department for the Development of the Distribution Industry at the Ministry of Commerce, also suggested: “During the collection phase, when setting up containers for household waste, consideration should be given to the convenience of recycling, in order to avoid such waste from ending up in the waste disposal system and thus improve the efficiency of resource recycling.” During operation and sorting. Explore the use of used goods recycling vehicles to collect recyclables. During the processing stage. Integrate waste product sorting centers and processing facilities with end-of-waste treatment plants to improve resource recovery rates. ” Today in developed countries, people confidently believe that building waste incineration plants is a noble endeavor, as it effectively reduces carbon dioxide emissions. For example, the waste incineration plants in Tokyo, Japan, are located very close to residential areas ； The waste incineration plant in Minnesota, USA is also located next to a stadium ； An underground waste incineration plant on the Seine River in Paris, less than 2 kilometers from the Eiffel Tower. In Europe, waste incineration plants are often still used as a heat source for urban residents, which represents the development trend in waste incineration within the EU ； The heat generated by the 3 waste incineration plants in central Paris accounts for over 50% of the total heat supply for the city. It is foreseeable that, with the development of the industry toward greater sophistication, intelligence, ecological sustainability, and internationalization, China’s waste-to-energy generation sector is likely to make further progress during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

It is a good technology that deserves to be promoted; it should receive **strong support and favorable policies**

It depends on human effort; the key is whether the operating unit follows standard procedures, otherwise. . . We won’t mention some private enterprises

When burning waste, it is still necessary to ensure good environmental protection; in fact, the necessary environmental protection technologies already exist, but what’s key is proper supervision. The current mainstream approach is to raise standards, but regulation is relatively lax; therefore, it is necessary to **strengthen supervision**.