ABSTRACT
The eighth chapter describes the environmental aspects of waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. The new WTE plants are often situated in city centers due to state-of-the-art flue gas cleaning systems/air pollution control systems, which are analyzed in Chapter 3. In the first part of the chapter, major air pollutants, such as NOx and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs, that are produced through combustion processes are presented The formation, prevention, abatement of these pollutants are also discussed. However, it can be concluded that although WTE is a source of air pollution, for a state-of-the-art waste combustor, the contribution to the overall air pollution is very limited and almost negligible even for dioxins and NOx. While it is not possible to rule out adverse health and environmental effects from modern, well-regulated waste combustors with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close by is likely to be negligible, if detectable. In the second part of the chapter, the use of bottom ash as construction material (e.g., aggregate, in cement production, ceramics) and fly and boiler ash treatment (stabilization/solidification) are presented. Finally, a comparison between WTE and landfill is developed. WTE has several important environmental advantages compared to landfilling of municipal solid waste (MSW).
