Potentials of the waste-to-energy sector for an unconventional district heating system

Abstract

In spite of being a process that exploits a renewable source of energy, the combustion of wood-based biomass contributes to deteriorate outdoor and indoor air quality. Critical situations for human exposure may occur in mountainous areas, where wood-based biomass is usually abundant and the complex morphology may favour the stagnation of air pollutants in valleys. Replacing wood/pellet stoves with centralised systems would reduce the impact, but the construction of district heating systems may not be convenient in areas with low density of houses. A possible solution could rely on direct electrical heating (DEH) systems, preferably fed by thermochemical processes that help achieve environmental goals for the local community, like the reduction of waste landfilling and the valorisation of the energy content of waste. This paper aims at presenting a comparison between the impacts expected by household wood/pellet stoves and by a modern waste-to-energy (WtE) plant, in terms of emissions of air pollutants into the atmosphere, when replacing wood stoves with a DEH system fed by the electric energy generated by the WtE plant. The comparison shows that the replacement of household stoves with an equivalent DEH system would be beneficial in terms of impacts on the local air quality. Such an approach could be considered to reduce the health impacts from biomass burning in critical areas like the Alpine region.

MSW Management in Two Italian Mountainous Areas

“…Concerning incineration in the first case scenario, the delay in the decision provided extended time for scientific studies within territorial universities and research bodies. The related studies [30], [31] demonstrate that a modern combustion plant based on Best Available Techniques, built in a strategically selected site, designed to the local needs, can have a negligible impact also thanks to the possibility of decreasing the authorised values of the pollutants emitted at the stack compared to the regulatory ones.…”

Screening of Factors for Assessing the Environmental and Economic Efficiency of Investment Projects in the Energy Sector

“…These quantitative factors could be used for the environmental and economic appraisal of energy projects as additional information about their negative effects on atmospheric air and water resources [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ].…”