One of the major concerns that every country is dealing with is waste management. However, some countries have come up with some effective solutions for this. For example, collecting materials for recycling. This has become a common practice in small businesses, households, and large organizations. On the other hand, commercial waste can also be recycled to produce an effective renewable energy source called Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). With this process, waste generated can be processed to produce electricity, heat other different forms of energy. In some places, this is called EFW- Energy From Waste. Let’s talk about this in detail.
As per some studies, urban areas in Asia produce around 750,000 tonnes of MSW- Municipal Solid Waste every day. On the other hand, experts have projected that the figure will increase to around 2 million tonnes of waste in a day by the end of 2025. One of the most common methods of waste disposal is dumping the waste in low-lying areas. But this severely affects the environment and leads to soil degradation, methane emission, and water pollution. That’s why it is crucial to utilize different Waste management technologies to prevent environmental degradation and foster waste-to-energy solutions, such as RDF.
In simple words, RDF is one type of renewable fuel that is produced from domestic as well as commercial waste. It includes biodegradable materials and plastic. RDF producers process different combustible components, which is called Municipal Solid Waste. It is generally sourced from different landfills and then is shredded, dried, baled, and burned to generate electricity.
As per the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a certain type of waste, as well as by-products having recoverable calorific value, can be utilized as fuels in cement plants as a coal substitute if that meets the required specification. On the other hand, in some situations, they can only be utilized after proper pre-processing to offer tailor-made fuel to the global cement industry. This can help the cement manufacturers to meet their Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. It may be noted that RDF has different facets. Based on its nature, it can be categorized into SRF- Solid Recovered Fuels, TDF- Tyre Derived Fuels, and AF- Alternative Fuels.
As discussed above, different types of combustible components are processed to produce RDF. Speaking about combustible components, it may include Nonrecyclables, paper, plastics, labels, corrugated materials, and more. The types of materials able to be used to produce RDF means this can offer some impressive environmental benefits, and different studies have proved that it can greatly reduce CO2 emissions.
Well, converting waste to energy creates different positive environmental as well as commercial impacts. And the most visible of which will be a direct impact of this is on your business’s finance.
Transporting waste to landfills has now become a little expensive, and with time this is increasing. Besides, every business also needs to focus on its environmental impact. But now, businesses can take advantage of this opportunity and send their waste to RDF manufacturers. This way, they can lower their costs of waste management and can get the energy to keep the unit running smoothly. This is quite beneficial for the cement industry as cement producers use a lot of coal to produce energy.
On the other hand, utilizing RDF can have a positive effect on the environment. This way, you can make sure that you are contributing to saving the planet and enhancing your business’s green credentials.
Furthermore, RDF can lower an industry’s reliance on different fossil fuels, for example, coal and old, which can negatively affect the environment. This can have a direct positive impact on lowering CO2 emissions and promoting sustainability among different industries.
To produce RDF, municipal solid waste is processed in different steps.
The major steps involved in the process are:
• Seperation
This is the process of separating MSW into rags, plastic, rubber, leather, metals, bio-degradable, and more. However, the important particles used to produce RDF are rubber, leather, paper, plastic, and bio-degradable.
• Size screening
This process is all about separating MSW considering the particle’s shape and size. This makes the material handling process comfortable.
• Shredding
Under this process, large solid wastes are destroyed and converted into smaller pieces by cutting and crushing. Once done, the wastes become very easy to transport.
• Magnetic Separation
Under this process, using powerful magnetic force, magnetically susceptible materials are removed from the wastes. This particular process separates metal particles as these are not suitable for producing RDF.
• RDF Pelletizing
Once metal particles are removed from the waste, the RDF particles are then combined with different binders, for example, Calcium Hydroxide. A machine then mixes them properly. Once done, the mixture is converted into usable pellets with the required shapes and sizes. It can range from 30mm to 50mm RDF capsules. Combustion of this combination produces a highly efficient gas that has a lower amount of CO2 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.
Generally, in thermal power plants and cement plans, energy is generated by processing coal. But burning coal can have multiple environmental effects. When you burn the coals, it produces ash that is very difficult to handle, and it can lead to air and soil pollution.
Due to the reduction in particle size and non-combustible material, RDF pellets will be very homogenous and much easier to burn compared to the MSW feedstock. It has been seen that RDF pellets have been burned successfully in different boilers and also have been used as a stand-alone fuel. As it requires lower excess air, it works efficiently. On the other hand, non-combustible have been extracted from the pellets; handling will also be much easier.
So, what are you waiting for? If you want to enhance the efficiency of your factory and lower the carbon emission of your manufacturing unit, you should give RDF a try. Use it as a coal substitute and make your business sustainable.