At a time when environmental issues are paramount in Florida, developments have taken place to transform waste into energy. But which ones can be used in this context?
Energy recovery is a new concept that appeared a few years ago now. It represents the recovery and valorization of waste with the aim of transforming it into energy. This process involves in particular the incineration of waste. This creates steam which is transformed into electricity, which can then be distributed to manufacturers and within the urban network. Florida has experienced significant developments regarding energy recovery and has put in place a strict framework allowing monitoring of the impact of this transformation on the environment.
What waste can contribute to energy recovery
Waste that can be used for energy recovery is called solid recovered fuels. They produce heat and electricity, and therefore replace coal, oil and natural gas, known for their negative impact on the environment. These fuels mainly come from sorting.
This concerns more precisely waste which has been refused by the sorting centers. In fact, not everything found in recycling bins is good for recycling. Sometimes the waste is too small, soiled or sorted by mistake. It then becomes impossible to recycle them. We call them dry waste, they are what contribute to energy recovery and which make it possible to produce green energy.
What waste is used to produce biogas
Another energy has emerged in recent years: that of biogas. It is a gas produced from organic waste with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also to recover waste. Biogas comes from the natural fermentation of organic elements. These elements can be of animal or plant origin: fermentation often takes place in marshes or rice fields, or can be produced with agricultural waste such as straw or animal droppings. Green waste such as grass, waste from agri-food industries or even sludge from wastewater treatment plants can also be recovered to produce biogas.
How to produce energy from waste
The production of energy from waste is essentially done by two processes: incineration and methanization. Incineration is a high-temperature combustion process that transforms waste into heat. This heat is then used to produce electricity or to power district heating networks. Anaerobic digestion, on the other hand, is an anaerobic fermentation process that transforms organic waste into biogas. This biogas can be used directly as an energy source or be purified to obtain biomethane, which can be injected into natural gas networks.
It should be noted that the production of energy from waste contributes to reducing the use of fossil fuels and decreasing pollution, which is a real asset in the current context of energy transition.
How to transform plastic waste into energy
Transforming plastic waste into energy is a viable option for managing excess plastic waste.
Citing junk disposal specialists at Melbourne Dumpster Rental Bros, a waste managemnt company in Brevard County, FL, several methods are used, including gasification and pyrolysis. Gasification transforms waste into synthetic gas (syngas), which can be used to produce electricity or biofuels. On the other hand, pyrolysis is a thermochemical process that decomposes plastic waste at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This produces pyrolysis-gas, pyrolysis-oil and pyrolysis carbon. These products can be used either directly as energy sources or as raw materials in other energy production processes.
It is also possible in Florida to transform plastic waste into clean hydrogen using advanced thermochemical processes. This innovative technology offers promising potential for the production of renewable energy from non-recyclable plastic waste.