Generación de Energía a partir de Residuos Sólidos Urbanos. Estrategias Termodinámicas para Optimizar el Desempeño de Centrales Térmicas

Abstract

ResumenSe determinan estrategias termodinámicas para la conversión energética de Residuos Sólidos Urbanos (RSU) en plantas de incineración bajo condiciones sub-estequiométricas. La valoración energética de RSU es una alternativa para mitigar los impactos ambientales que genera su disposición final, siendo la producción de RSU de la ciudad de Medellín (Colombia) de aproximadamente 1800 ton/día. El análisis se lleva a cabo mediante un modelo en equilibrio termoquímico del proceso de gasificación, donde se estudia el efecto del contenido de humedad y la relación equivalente combustible-aire en el proceso termoquímico. El potencial energético de los RSU de la ciudad es de 28 a 44 MW eléctricos. Las estrategias termodinámicas para aprovechar energéticamente los RSU en plantas de incineración bajo condiciones sub-estequiométricas, de modo autotérmico y evitando la fusión de cenizas, establecen que el proceso se debe llevar a cabo con una relación equivalente combustible-aire de gasificación entre 1.5 y 3.3, independiente del contenido de humedad de los RSU. Palabras clave: valoración energética; residuos sólidos urbanos; equilibrio termoquímico; gasificación AbstractIn this study, thermodynamic strategies are determined for the energy conversion of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) in incineration plants under sub-stoichiometric conditions. Energy generation from MSW is an alternative to mitigate the environmental impacts derived by their final disposal, being the production rate of MSW in Medellin city (Colombia) of about 1800 ton/day. The analysis is conducted by means of a thermochemical equilibrium model of the gasification process, where the effect of moisture content and fuelair equivalence ratio on the thermochemical process is studied. The energy potential of MSW from the city is between 28 and 44 MWe. The thermodynamic strategies for energy recovery from MSW in incineration plants at sub-stoichiometric conditions, under auto-thermal regimens and avoiding ash fusion, establish that the process must be carried out with a fuel-air equivalence ratio between 1.5 and 3.3, regardless of the moisture content of the MSW.

Análisis bibliométrico de tecnologías para la valorización de residuos sólidos urbanos y su potencial en el contexto colombiano

“…Additionally, the scarcity of natural gas and oil reserves jeopardizes the country's economy. It is imperative to explore alternatives for waste management and energy generation in Colombia to address these challenges and ensure greater energy security (60).…”

Optimal waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Ilyas et al [43] proposed the use of technologies such as incineration, chemical treatment, and alternative heat treatment for waste disinfection as follows: Treatment by incineration: Consists of incinerating the trash at a high temperature between 800 and 1200 degrees Celsius, which kills the pathogen while also destroying 90 percent of the organic materials present. As one might assume, this form of treatment emits a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere, in addition to the pretreatment required for the waste, it may require considerable amounts of energy due to the humidity present in this type of waste [44] . Chemical treatment: This treatment is based on disinfection treatments, which are commonly employed as a pretreatment in COVID-19 waste and is then followed by mechanical crushing.…”

“…Treatment by incineration: Consists of incinerating the trash at a high temperature between 800 and 1200 degrees Celsius, which kills the pathogen while also destroying 90 percent of the organic materials present. As one might assume, this form of treatment emits a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere, in addition to the pretreatment required for the waste, it may require considerable amounts of energy due to the humidity present in this type of waste [44] .…”

Effect of the Colombian Renewable Energy Law on the Levelized Cost of a Substitute Gaseous Fuel Produced from MSW Gasification

“…The chemical composition of MSW from each sector that makes up the MSW from the city is presented in Table 1. The calculation of the MSW's chemical composition is presented in detail in previous works (Montiel-Bohórquez and Pérez, 2019;Montiel-Bohórquez et al, 2021). Besides, the HHV of each waste type was estimated using the correlation proposed by Channiwala and Parikh (2002).…”