Using Gasification to recover energy requires a new, dedicated power plant.
The plant will use Solid Recovered Fuel produced by Mechanical Biological Treatment.
The fuel is fed into a reaction chamber where the gasification process takes place – gasification simply refers to the production of a gas under ‘starved’ air conditions.
Also known as sub-stoichiometric conditions, it means that less oxygen than normal is present in the reaction chamber.
The resulting reaction creates temperatures of over 700 degrees celsius.
By adding air, the carbon and hydrogen content of the SRF is partly combusted and partly converted into a combustible gas.
This gas can be used to generate electricity which is then fed into the local grid.
Ash and flue gases are also created.
These by-products are then further treated to ensure that they comply with strict European environmental standards:
- The flue gases are passed through a sophisticated filter system where they are cleaned, and constantly controlled and monitored
- The small amounts of fly ash are captured for landfill
- and the bottom ash is recycled for use in the construction industry.
The North West Region Waste Management Group expects that in one year, residual black bin waste from the region will provide 60,000 tons of Solid Recovered Fuel.
Gasification can use this fuel to generate 30 Giga Watt hours of electricity; enough to power 6,000 homes for an entire year. This electricity has the added benefit that it will be classified as renewable energy.
