PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Appropriate waste management plays a central role in Europe’s transition to a more circular economy. Currently, waste management approaches starts with prevention, followed by reuse, higher recycling targets, and finally the reduction of residual waste through valorisation. Accordingly, the EU proposes to ban the landfilling of recyclable plastics, metals, glass, paper and carboard, leather and biodegradable waste by 2025, while Member States should endeavour to virtually eliminate landfilling by 2030.
Despite the increased efforts towards prevention, the generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has continued to increase in recent last years. The generation of MSW in the EU-27 increased from 198 million tonnes / year in 1995 to more than 225 million tonnes / year in 2020.
On average, 48% of the MSW generated in Europe is recycled, but the remainder is not easily separated or recovered waste (so-called non-recyclable fraction). The non-recyclable fraction of MSW is a mixture of mainly biowaste and fossil material (plastic waste), with other inert or non-combustible fractions included in its composition. Its heterogeneous composition and high variability make the mechanical or chemical recycling options available on the market very difficult or even unfeasible and, in most cases, this waste end up as landfill or incinerated.
In this context, the chemical recovery via pyrolysis seems a promising option to turn waste into feedstock and other useful products. This technology generates lower CO2 emissions than incineration and works at lower operational temperatures (less energy consumption) than gasification. Despite these advantages, the pyrolysis technology is currently viable only to treat stable and homogeneous waste flows.
The main challenge and innovative aspect of this project relies, therefore, on the adaptation of the pyrolysis technology to the characteristics of the non-reusable, non-recyclable and non-segregable heterogenous MSW stream at an industrial scale.
OBJECTIVES
The project aims to implement and demonstrate an innovative, advanced and cost-effective valorisation plant for the management of the non-recyclable fraction of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Valorisation through thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis + upgrading) will lead to the production of secondary raw materials (naphtha and charcoal) that can be used in the petrochemical industry to obtain value-added products. The project will offer a sustainable and competitive zero-landfill solution.
The project’s specific objectives are:
- To change the traditional concept of the MSW treatment sector through the introduction of a zero-landfilling and circular concept that can eliminate large volumes of end-of-life waste.
- To reduce drastically the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to the landfilling of non-recyclable MSW and avoid the environmental impacts associated with the production of conventional naphtha and coke.
- The development of two new standards in the framework of the Spanish National Standardisation Body (UNE) for the outcomes of the valorisation process.
RESULTS
The project’s expected results are:
Treatment of 2,112 tonnes of non-recyclable MSW, avoiding landfilling.
Production of 458 tonnes of naphtha that will be processed as a feedstock to the fluidised catalytic cracking unit of a refinery.
Production of 583 tonnes of solid charcoal that will be used as additive for asphalt mixtures.
Reduction in the emission of 2,069.76 tonnes CO2eq. compared to landfilling waste.
Reduction in the emission of 918.56 tonnes CO2eq. associated with the conventional production of green naphtha.
Reduction in the emission of 1,700.26 tonnes CO2eq. associated with the conventional production of solid charcoal.
Three years after the end of the project, 160,000 tonnes/year of non-recyclable MSW will be treated, avoiding the emission of 355,222.65 tonnes CO2eq./year.
