PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The EU produced 240.9 million tonnes of waste in 2014. The share of recycled municipal waste was still 28%, up from 11% in 1995. In some EU countries 80% of municipal waste continues to be disposed in landfill sites. There is clear need to minimise the generation of waste and to re-use and recycle it. Improved technologies for energy recovery from waste also have an important role. Turning waste into a resource directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and prevents negative local impacts such as landscape deterioration, water and air pollution. Strategies are needed to integrate several technologies to improve the waste management model overall.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE WASTE2BIOFUEL pilot project aimed to reduce the negative impact that suboptimal waste management has on air, water and soil ecosystems. It would develop a process for the thermal treatment of the biomass fraction of municipal solid waste. The process would include pre-treatment and a high-performance modular gasification system that would convert any properly pre-treated substrate into a high calorific value gas. The gas would be further processed into liquid fuel.
The process would be tested at a pilot plant within the TETma facility in Valencia, Spain. The aim would be to demonstrate the transformation of biowaste into liquid fuels in an energy self-sufficient way. The process would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste treatment by an estimated 19%, and would produce biofuel that would be used to run equipment that often operates at landfill sites and in the waste collection lorry fleet. The project would therefore contribute to the implementation of EU waste policies by reducing the environmental impacts of biowaste and the implementation of renewable energy policies by increasing the production of biofuels to contribute to the EU target of biofuels in final energy consumption.
Expected results:
- An integrated process for the conversion of municipal waste into renewable fuels;
- A new, improved concept of municipal waste treatment that reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill;
- The development of a pilot plant with a waste processing capacity of 450 tonnes/year that produces 128 tonnes/year of liquid fuel;
- Corresponding reduction of fossil fuel consumption by 128 tonnes/year;
- A life-cycle analysis of the system demonstrating that the carbon footprint of landfill sites and fuel substitution will lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 19% compared to traditional fossil fuels;
- A socio-economic impact assessment report;
- Certification of the performance of the resulting biofuel, in order to gain the trust of potential users; and
- The creation of at least 10 direct and indirect jobs.
RESULTS
The project was terminated earlier, on 15/01/20, and did not achieve any of its objectives.
