Energy From Waste Report Sample

Waste energy recovery is the extraction of energy from waste. Solid wastes are combusted to give heat which is then used for electrical power generation or to provide heat energy. Other wastes, such as landfill matter, are digested anaerobically to give fuels such as methane, methanol, and ethanol. Also, energy can be extracted from waste through other processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, and landfill gas recovery. This is a paper on waste energy recovery and its commercial application. Waste energy recovery and repurposing can be referred to as first fuel option because of the benefits it has over conventional energy forms such as fossil fuels. The main benefit derived from waste energy recovery is environmental conservation. Reay, Smith, and Amstel (2010), detail that combustion of fossil fuels leads to emission of carbonaceous and toxic gases. These gases pollute the environment and cause global warming through the greenhouse effect. By replacing fossil fuels with cleaner energy from waste, the environment is shielded from tons of greenhouse gases which would have otherwise have been emitted. Also, the use of energy from waste reduces other carbon-emitting power generation activities. Economically, waste energy recovery offers a viable energy solution than conventional energy sources. According to Rao, (2011), grid power supply is often affected by frequent outages which disrupt production activities. Also, petroleum fuel derivatives are affected by vagaries in world oil prices which make it hard to project fuel costs against production. When a company owns the means of power generation, it can plan for a generation schedule against expected demand thereby reducing wastage. In addition, power produced from waste is cheaper than energy purchased from a utility company or from diesel thermal generators which make it more appealing from an economic perspective. Finally, the use of waste to generate energy considerably reduces its mass through conversion to ashes thereby dramatically reducing disposal costs Waste energy repurposing can be in the form electrical power generation. In this process, unrecyclable waste, normally from municipal council garbage collection centers, is incinerated to produce heat energy. The heat is the used to generate high-pressure steam with enough kinetic energy to drive steam turbines attached to electrical generator shafts (Shepherd & Shepherd, 2014). The torque from the turbines rotates generator armatures causing power generation through electromagnetic induction. The power generated can then be fed to the grid or applied directly if generated at a company plant. Landfill gas recovery is a technology that harnesses methane gas produced from landfill sites. Methane is a combustible gas that can be used as a fuel for heat energy generation. Heat generated can be applied for industrial processes such as process steam generation and central heating.The gas can also be combusted in internal combustion engines coupled to generators for electrical power generation. Landfill methane is a potent energy source given the large landfill sites managed by municipal councils in different towns. Waste energy recovery is a trend that is quickly picking traction. Apart from reducing carbon emissions, the technology also solves the problem of waste disposal. Companies, businesses, and other entities that practice waste from energy recovery reap the benefits of having control over the power that they consume. Grid power is expensive, suffers outages and is of inferior quality. Waste from energy recovery turns consumers into independent power producers

References

Rao, K. R. (2011). Energy and power generation handbook: Established and emerging technologies. New York: ASME Press.
Reay, D., Smith, P., & Amstel, A . (2010). Methane and climate change. London: Earthscan.
Shepherd, W., & Shepherd, D. W. (2014). Energy studies.