Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
disposal policy. In the European Union, a number of directives specifically
address the issue of waste incineration and disposal:
• Directive 2000/76/EC of the European Parliament and the Council
on the incineration of waste.
• Directive 94/67/EC of the Council of the European Communities
excludes incinerators for infectious clinical waste unless rendered
hazardous according to Directive 91/689/EEC of the Council of the
European Communities on hazardous waste.
In some cases, incineration also can result in significant energy recovery as
discussed below.
Cogeneration is a process in which a facility uses its waste energy to produce
heat or electricity. Cogeneration is considered more environmentally friendly
than exhausting incinerator heat and emissions directly up a smokestack.
One bioprocess company sends all its waste to a facility that incinerates
and uses it to generate electricity for a major U.S. city. Another company uses
a waste heat boiler to make low-pressure steam. Although there are wide
variations, the heat value of mixed plastics waste is estimated to be about
15,000 to 20,000 BTUs/lb (34,890 to 46,520 kJ/kg), which compares favorably
to coal at 9,000 to 12,000 BTUs/lb (20,934 to 27,912 kJ/kg).
Cogeneration is more widely applied in Europe and Asia than in the United
States. In the United States, this process is being installed increasingly at
universities, hospitals, and housing complexes for which boilers and chillers
can serve multiple large buildings. In the European Union, the European
Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging
waste, Article 6 addresses energy recovery by incineration, and Article 10
addresses standardization.
In addition, the standard EN 13431 Packaging—Requirements for Pack-
aging Recoverable in the Form of Energy Recovery, Including Specification
of Minimum Inferior Calorific Value specifies requirements for packaging
to be classified as recoverable in the form of energy and sets out procedures
for assessing conformity with those requirements. The scope is limited to
factors under a supplier's control.
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a method for converting oil from plastics such as PE, PP, and
polystyrene (PS) that can be used as fuel for internal combustion engines,
generators, boilers, and industrial burners. Plastics are separated into oil,
gas, and char residue by being heated in a pyrolysis chamber. Gas flowing
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