Agenda - 04-21-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ ~ - - - - The. capital costs for these. facilities (mass-burn and RDF facilities) range from $150,000 to $250,000 per design ton on a daily basis (TPD) and are generally considered feasible at plants sized at 1000 to 1200 TPD. However, somewhat smaller facilities may be feasible in certain circumstances, such as where high energy revenue is achievable. Regardless, amass-burn or RFD facility would require a significant regional involvement as an approach to long-term disposal. With operating costs and the sale of recovered energy and materials, the total net tipping fee for a facility of this type would be approximately $100 per ton or more. 2.3 Gasification, Pyrolysis, and Plasma Arc These technologies are grouped together because, unlike the first two technologies that combust the waste material, these have similar processes that produce a combustible gas that is then burned to generate energy. ^ Waste is heated to produce a burnable gas that can be used off site of the gasifier. ^ With gasification and pyrolysis, waste is fed into a gasification chamber, where it is heated in an atmosphere sufficient only to maintain the gasification process (insufficient for combustion) at temperatures in excess of 3000°F. Plasma arc technologies direct intense heat at a relatively small area within a chamber, i where waste is converted to a gas in a starved-air atmosphere similar to other gasification technologies. The intense heat is generated by "torches" that are fed by electrical current. The current heats a process gas to more than 5000°F, which in turn heats waste. ^ At these high temperatures, organic materials dissociate into gases and non-organics will vitrify into aglass-like slag or frit. ^ The slag can be used in light construction applications. ^ The gas can be piped to a combustion facility where it is burned much like natural gas in a boiler or engine. ^ Air emissions are improved over waste combustion technologies. ^ Different forms of these technologies have been tested at various levels since the 1970s. ^ Although pilot plants have been tried with these technologies and small facilities operate in Japan and Canada, performance has not yet been demonstrated with typical MSW over long-term operating periods, nor on a scale that is applicable as a solution for MSW management. ^ Plasma arc facilities have been recently planned for Tallahassee (1000 TPD) and St. Lucie County (3000 TPD) in Florida. However, the Tallahassee project has been cancelled for ®`'~y~~ ~~~'P 5 Apri116, 2009