Review on the Current Status of the Co-combustion Technology of Organic Solid Waste (OSW) and Coal in China

Abstract

Increasing economy and population result in the rapid growth of solid waste in China, with more than 70% being carbonaceous components. The generated carbon-bearing solid waste is called as organic solid waste (OSW). In this Review, OSWs from both municipal and industrial sources are discussed and divided into municipal solid waste (MSW), organic sludge, polymer solid waste, and biomass-like solid waste, according to their variations in origins and characteristics in China. Agricultural waste (i.e., biomass) and large-scale industrial solid waste (e.g., coal waste) are not considered, because of their well-established fundamentals. Incineration is becoming the most common method of energy recovery for OSW in China, while it has to face the problems of relatively low thermal efficiency, high air pollutant emission, and the high risk of fly ash products. Compared with MSW incinerators, coal-fired power plants own efficient power generation systems and centralized air pollution control devices (APCDs). With the fact that mixed coals are widely used in existing power plants, it is of great significance to study and discuss the current status of cocombustion of OSW and coal in China. In this work, the physicochemical properties of OSW were first introduced, with a subsequent detailed summary on their co-combustion fundamentals, such as devolatilization, ignition, char reactivity, and combustion efficiency, and ash-related issues, including fouling/slagging, high-temperature corrosion, and leaching behavior of ash residue. Furthermore, pollutants emissions regarding conventional pollutant [CO, SO 2 , NO x , HCl, particulate matters (PM)], heavy metals, and hazardous organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were analyzed. Some pretreatment methods to reduce the risk of co-combustion were also discussed, including pelletization, drying, torrefaction, hydrothermal carbonization, and low-temperature pyrolysis. Lastly, discussions and perspectives on the future co-combustion technology of OSW with coal were presented. This work aimed to gain systematic knowledge on the co-combustion technology of OSW and coal, providing guidelines for further applications of OSW in power plants in China, as well as other countries in the world.

Repercussions of clinical waste co-incineration in municipal solid waste incinerator during COVID-19 pandemic

“…Owing to the strong affinity of Cl for Na and K, the relatively high contents of Cl in CW might accelerate the generation of low-melting alkali metal chlorides (NaCl and KCl) and subsequent transfer into flue gas during co-incineration [39] . NaCl and KCl are prone to get deposited on the surface of the boiler, while HCl in gas phase might induce severe slagging and corrosion problems [40] , [41] .…”

The EU Training Network for Resource Recovery through Enhanced Landfill Mining—A Review

“…In a second study, a sample of the fine fraction (<10 mm) and two samples of combustibles (with different share of defilements) were used for a similar experimental setup [84]. The latter publication was cited in a review on co-incineration of organic waste and coal [85] and with respect to the higher production of CO and CO 2 in pyrolysis when using finer waste fractions in a publication on the prediction of gaseous products from RDF pyrolysis [86]. Two further results originated from this NEW-MINE publication: (1) pyrolysis of landfilled waste yields less oil and gas than pyrolysis of fresh waste and (2) gasification of char from pyrolysis of landfilled waste yields waste fuel with a higher reactivity compared to the same process using fresh waste, which is explained by the catalytic effect of the metals present in landfilled waste [87].…”

Virtual Special Issue of Recent Research Advances in China: Thermochemical Processing of Biomass and Solid Wastes

“…Peng et al 8 provide a comprehensive review of the formation, measurement, and control of dioxins during the incineration of municipal solid wastes. Liu et al 9 systematically summarize the current status of the co-combustion technology of organic solid wastes (OSWs) and coal in China, providing the guidelines for further applications of OSWs in stationary power plants.…”