A Study In to the Economic, Logistical and Energetic Potential to Condense Household Waste to Form Fuel

Waste disposal in the UK is a growing problem; we are annually producing more and more waste, yet running out of disposal options. The introduction of the Landfill Directive, aimed at diverting waste away from landfill, has fuelled interest in alternative disposal options, including incineration with energy recovery. Incineration with energy recovery offers a potential ‘win win ’ disposal option; waste is hygienically treated, and energy, in the form of electricity and heat, is reclaimed. Densifying, or briquetting (where the waste is compacted into a fraction of its initial volume) can theoretically create a fuel source from waste by forming refuse derived fuel – a feedstock for the incineration process. The purpose of this study is to investigate some practical issues of incorporating briquetting in the current UK waste management process. Firstly, this report investigated whether waste could be briquetted and then evaluated the current waste management process to identify possible places where briquette machines might be introduced. This report found that household waste could indeed be briquetted and found three potential areas for potential implementation. Secondly, this report investigated the net energy entailed in briquette production; analysis found that the briquetting process increased energy recovery above the energy levels used in briquette production. Briquetting prior to incineration would therefore be a net energy contributor.