Page 16 - Waste-to-Energy in the Danube Strategy Region. Challenges and Prospects

with relatively low levels of moisture and high content of non-biodegradable organic matter

(Kumar and Samadder 2017).
Incineration is the most common of these methods and can be used to produce heat,

electricity or both. Furthermore, as was the historical stimulus for this technology’s

implementation, it has the advantage of considerably reducing waste mass and volume. The

generated heat can be used in particular in district heating systems but also in industrial

applications. In this case, proximity to the area of use is important. Such is not the case for
electricity production, though in this case grid issues are relevant. The process also produces

various by-products which can then be used in other industrial applications, such as road

construction and cement production. Various gaseous pollutants are also produced by this
process, and thus any incineration plant must also include a flue-gas cleaning system in order to

meet environmental regulations, as specified in the Waste Incineration Directive. Various

incineration plant constructions are possible, but the most common in the EU is grate combustion.

To ascertain the most appropriate technology it is essential to first evaluate the composition and
characteristics of the respective waste stream. Pre-treatment of waste, for example, by means of

sorting, may be done to improve the relevant characteristics of the waste stream for the given

plant. Such pre-treatment can also be used to create refuse derived fuel, which contains high

calorific value and is suitable for incineration (Kumar and Samadder 2017).

Project co-funded by the European Union
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