| China is creating unprecedented wealth for an | | | | significant contributor to global warming. When a |
| unprecedented number of people. At the same time, | | | | landfill is capped, methane can still be released for |
| China is also creating an unprecedented volume of | | | | years, although the land has limited uses. Landfills also |
| rubbish. The country already produces more rubbish | | | | release hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) which are |
| than any other nation, and every year Chinese cities | | | | contained in landfill gas. Ground water can also |
| generate one-third of the total amount of rubbish | | | | become contaminated from landfill leachate. |
| produced in the world. Annually, China throws away | | | | What Exactly Is Energy-from-Waste? |
| some 190 million tonnes of municipal solid waste | | | | EFW is a process where MSW (i.e. household rubbish) |
| (MSW). Approximately five per cent gets recycled | | | | is combusted at high temperatures in specialised |
| and less than ten per cent is used to produce | | | | combustion units and reduced to ten per cent of its |
| Energy-from-Waste (EFW) also known as | | | | original volume. The heat generated from these |
| Waste-to-Energy (WTE), while more than 80 per | | | | combustion chambers heats up water in steel tubes |
| cent of this waste ends up buried in landfills. This is | | | | that form the walls of the combustion chambers. The |
| creating a potential crisis that government is working | | | | water is turned to steam and sent through a turbine |
| hard to avoid by implementing integrated waste | | | | that continuously generates electricity. EFW facilities |
| management plans that include EFW facilities. | | | | use state-of-the-art technology including sophisticated |
| These efforts reflect a growing global chorus that is | | | | air pollution control systems. Combusting one tonne |
| calling for additional economic investment in the EFW | | | | of waste in an EFW facility prevents the equivalent |
| industry. As noted by the World Economic Forum in | | | | of one tonne of CO2 from entering the atmosphere |
| its "Green Investing" report issued earlier this year, | | | | through the burning of fossil fuels to produce the |
| EFW can be an important contributor to a | | | | same amount of electricity, and the decomposition of |
| carbon-neutral infrastructure. Similar sentiments were | | | | MSW in landfills. EFW facilities also recycle metal that |
| expressed in 2008 at the Global Roundtable on | | | | would have otherwise been dumped. Increasing local |
| Climate Change: "... efforts to reduce global emissions | | | | metal recycling also offsets greenhouse gases as it |
| of methane from landfills should be expanded, | | | | reduces the need to mine for virgin metals. |
| including increased use of waste-to-energy facilities..." | | | | China faces an acute electricity shortage which is |
| To address China's waste challenge, communities (as | | | | likely to persist for the foreseeable future. The |
| part of an integrated waste management system) | | | | construction of additional EFW facilities will only play a |
| are being encouraged to reduce, re-use, recycle and | | | | relatively small part in China's energy mix, but will be |
| rethink their waste disposal options to recover | | | | an important component in diversifying the number |
| energy from waste. While recycling is a preferred | | | | of energy sources that the country relies upon. In |
| first step in the waste management process, not all | | | | addition, EFW facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven |
| waste can be recycled. And, after recycling, there | | | | days a week, making them the most continuously |
| are only two options for disposal: bury waste in a | | | | reliable source of renewable electricity generation. |
| landfill, or burn it. As old landfills expand or new | | | | The energy output of these facilities can help replace |
| landfills are developed, the amount of open space | | | | base-load coal and gas-fired power plants as an |
| that is destroyed will increase. In addition, | | | | energy source. For every tonne of waste processed |
| decomposing rubbish creates methane gas - a potent | | | | at an EFW facility, one barrel of oil would not need to |
| greenhouse gas that is over 20 times more effective | | | | be imported, or a quarter-tonne of coal would not |
| in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon | | | | have to be mined. |
| dioxide (CO2). Methane has been identified as a | | | | |