Municipal solid waste (MSW) remains a major problem in modern societies, even though the significant efforts to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle. At present, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) in waste-to-energy (WtE) plants is one of the main management options in most of the developed countries. The technology for recovering energy from MSW has evolved over the years and now sophisti...

Within the context of European Union (EU) energy policy and sustainibility in waste management, recent EU regulations demand energy efficient and environmentally sound disposal methods of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Currently, landfill with its many drawbacks is the preferred option in the EU and many other industrialised countries. Within the waste management hierarchy thermal disposal especi...

In this edition of the Journal of Hospital Infection, Kanemitsu et al. report their findings from laboratory studies intended to evaluate the efficacy of incineration as a method for sterilization of clinical wastes. High-temperature incineration is regarded as a wholly effective ‘gold standard’ method for the sterilization of wastes, although few attempts have been made to obtain ‘proof of pro...

In recent years managing solid wastes has been one of the burning problems in front of state and local municipal authorities. This is mainly due to scarcity of lands for landfill sites. In this context experts suggest that conversion of solid waste to energy and useful component is the best approach to reduce space and public health related problems. The entire process has to be managed by tech...

Resource recovery plants with a waste presorting process prior to incineration have not been successfully implemented in many developing countries. At least two engineering projects were fully assessed in Taiwan for the possible installation of presorting facilities in order to increase the potential efficiency of material and energy recovery for municipal incinerators. But the reuse potential ...

While Brazilian municipal solid waste (MSW) is most often being collected and disposed off at “controlled” dumps and landfills, a large amount of refuse still ends up at irregular dumping sites. Unfortunately, there are few cases where waste is processed in a manner that provides additional benefits to local communities, for example, recovering energy from waste. The most common form of energy ...

With the rapid development of the waste incineration industry in China, top priority has been given to the problem of pollution caused by waste incineration. This study is the first attempt to assess all the waste incineration plants in Wuhan, the only national key city in central China, in terms of environmental impact, site selection, public health and public participation. By using a multi-c...

A large amount of paper is recycled in China, that generates a significant amount of sludge and residue during the paper production process. Energy recovery by means of combustion in Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants can be a possible candidate for sludge elimination. Currently, two incineration methods, distinguished as either direct incineration of partially dewatered sludge (generally 80% water c...

On December 1, 2000, EPA adopted new source performance standards and emission guidelines for commercial and industrial solid waste incineration units established under Sections 111 and 129 of the Clean Air Act. In 2001, EPA granted a petition for reconsideration regarding the definitions of ‘‘commercial and industrial waste’’ and ‘‘commercial and industrial solid waste incineration unit.’’ In ...