Refuse to energy - its place in the future

The use of municipal solid waste to generate power helps communities extend the lives of existing landfills, stabilize solid waste disposal costs, and avoid the expensive complications of siting additional landfills or building incineration facilities. The three basic techniques used to convert solid waste into electricity are the gasification, pyrolysis, or anaerobic digestion of landfill materials to produce a gaseous product; co-firing a high-quality, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) with coal or oil in retrofitted power boilers; and burning raw solid waste of RDF in dedicated boilers. Industry experts predict that half of the nation's trash will be converted to energy by the end of the century. The utility industry plays an important role in this trend. 2 figures.