Page 15 - Waste-to-Energy in the Danube Strategy Region. Challenges and Prospects

Wastes may also be characterized by their point of origin and method of collection. Figure 3 below

depicts a general categorization along these two dimensions. From the figure, it is also evident
why many studies on waste to energy and waste management focus on municipal solid waste

(MSW). MSW encompasses a great many waste streams. It is also of critical importance within the

EU policy framework on waste due to its complexity, despite representing only 7–10% of total EU

waste by weight (Malinauskaite et al. 2017). While this report does not focus exclusively on MSW,

some related statistics are presented in order to provide a general picture of waste management
practices in the DSR.

Figure 3. Waste origin and method of collection (Saveyn et al. 2016)

As regards WtE technologies, they can be categorized according to the physiochemical

process of converting the given waste into energy. Three broad categories can thus be identified:

thermal, biological and sanitary landfilling (see Figure 4). The first two may be further subdivided,
and all categories have their respective technological features and specifications.

Thermal conversion processes include incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, and refuse

derived fuels. These processes use various forms of thermal treatment to convert organic material
derived from waste into heat energy, fuel oil or gas. These processes are typically applied to waste

Project co-funded by the European Union
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