Recycling 24 of 25 solid waste materials is able to save 3 to 5 times more energy than is produced in waste incineration plants. This is mainly due to the fact that incinerators can recover only 15% of the energy contained in them. If we want to make better use of waste, it is necessary to move away from combustion in favor of recycling.
There are many high energy fractions in waste. Various types of plastics, paper and textiles mean that often waste, even mixed ones, is characterized by high calorific value. Burning them, however, in dedicated installations, is able to recover only 15% of the energy contained in them.
This means that the amount of energy that is produced in incineration plants is on average from 5500 to 6100 kJ / kg. However, their recycling can save up to 20,000 to 31,000 kJ / kg of energy. In addition, recycling reduces the amount of natural resources extracted from the environment. This comparison illustrates well how many benefits recycling can bring compared to incineration.
Although waste incineration is inefficient, not ecological and low in the waste hierarchy, it is still widely used because of its simplicity.
However, if we want to achieve the goals set by the European Union, and thus achieve great social, economic and environmental benefits, we must promote new technologies that will help replace combustion, recycling. Petrel offers such technology for waste plastics.
Sources:
- Plastic Europe, „Tworzywa sztuczne- Fakty 2015”
- Jeffrey Morris „Recycling versus incineration: an energy conservation analysis” 1996