The Pros And Cons Of High Temperature Incineration Process

1729 Words4 Pages

Energy can come in many different ways but not every way is good for the environment. By-products produced from the waste or energy being converted can cause harmful repercussions to the environment. There is more than 200 million tons of hazardous waste that is created annually through such things like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cleaning products, etc. (High Temperature Incineration, n.d.). I will be discussing the incineration process as well as the pros and cons of incineration based waste to energy have on the environment. I will also be going over my views on incinerating waste and what steps should be taken to get rid of waste more effectively. To better understand the positives and negatives about incineration technology the process …show more content…

The process in which waste is burned to produce energy requires a few steps in which everything is controlled and monitored. The first step in producing waste to energy is entering solids and liquids into a rotary kiln, which rotates like a clothes dryer allowing the 1800°F temperature to expose all sides of the waste inside (High Temperature Incineration, n.d.). The liquids are introduced in to the rotary kiln using spray nozzles, much like fuel injection cars, which atomizes the liquids allowing for optimal combustion. Once the items inside have been broken down they are then transformed into two different elements. The organic materials become hot gases which are routed into the afterburner chamber for further heating. The other wastes that are inorganic materials become ashes that fall out of the rotary kiln into a …show more content…

One such harmful by-product is the ash released from the incinerators, not only through smoke stacks but the bottom ash as well. According to alternative-energy-news.info, bottom ash from the furnace is mixed with slag which is 10% by volume and is approximately 20 to 35% by weight of the solid waste input (Zafar, 2008). The ash released through the air contains much lower amounts of pollution than that of the bottom ash. The largest amounts of pollutants come from plastics that are burned in the incinerator. Some of these fly ashes can be captured through very expensive filters inside the smoke stacks, but even then not all pollutants will be captured. Also, the filters inside these smoke stacks will require to be disposed of in a specialized

More about The Pros And Cons Of High Temperature Incineration Process

Open Document