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What are the technology options? |
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When it comes to energy-from-waste, there are 3 main groups of technology to choose from:
Traditional combustion:
Also generally known as incineration, combustion technology has been used in the UK for many years. Modern incinerators produce less air pollution than their predecessors. They are typically built at a large scale and the UK currently has 19 plants, situated mostly in urban areas. Combustion technology is noted for its maturity.
Advanced Thermal Treatment (ATT) Technologies:
Including processes such as gasification and pyrolysis, designs of plant can incorporate one or more types of thermal treatment. Modern designs are often modular in nature and some have been intended for use at smaller scale, enabling potentially easier community integration. ATT designs have been argued to be a cleaner technology in that they require less emissions control.
Anaerobic Digestion
Used for more liquid wastes such as sewage, agricultural and kitchen waste. Anaerobic digestion uses bacteria to convert the waste to methane and a digestrate. The methane can be used to create electricity and heat in an engine, while the digestrate is often used for composting.
As well as technology, should a county use one large plant or 3 medium ones or 5 small ones for example? These choices can also create new options for people to consider.....
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