Re: [GreenYes] Gasification

[Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>]

Hi Christine,

Gasification is waste treatment technology that basically consists of
two-step incineration. The waste is heated in an oxygen-poor environment
(to prevent spontaneous combustion) until it breaks down into its chemical
components. Some of these come off as a gas which is then burnt -- the
composition must be quite similar to landfill gas. The remainder forms a
slag, which must be disposed of. The company pushing this technology
hardest is Thermoselect. They had one full-scale prototype in Karlsruhe,
Germany, but the government shut it down because it was unable to operate
properly. Thermoselect has also tried to push this technology in Ireland,
Puerto Rico and other places -- so far without success. As far as I know,
there are no large-scale gasification plants of municipal waste operating
anywhere in teh world. The problems, of course, are the same as
incineration -- a whole host of air pollutants, including dioxins, SOx,
NOx, particulates, heavy metals, PAHs, etc; and highly contaminated solid
material, called slag, plus fly ash. The difference is that it is an even
more technically difficult operation than mass-burn incineration, so the
technology seems to be less stable.

If you're interested in more information, you should contact the
secretariat of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives at
<gaia.sec@surfshop.net.ph> or visit the web page at www.no-burn.org

Neil Tangri



At 12:00 04/02/2001 -0400, Christine_McCoy@afandpa.org wrote:
>Hello All -
>
>What can you tell me about gasification?  I read an article recently that the
>Virgin Islands are considering building two waste gasification facilities
- one
>on St. Thomas and one in St. Croix.  I am unfamiliar with this technology and
>have no idea what the benefits and/or drawbacks would be in implementing this
>type of method on a small island.
>
>Any and all informtion you might have about this waste management option
would
>be appreciated.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Christine McCoy
>Christine_McCoy@afandpa.org
>
>
>*****************************************************
>    To post to the greenyes list, send a letter to:
>greenyes@earthsystems.org
>    To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>greenyes-request@earthsystems.org with the subject
>unsubscribe.  If you have any problems, please
>write to www@earthsystems.org.
>    The GreenYes Listserv depends on reader support.
>Your tax-deductible contribution in any amount can be
>made by mail (check) or on the web (credit card) at
>our website: http://www.grrn.org. Just click on the
>"Support GRRN" button.
>    GreenYes is archived at our website. Just click
>on the "GreenYes Listserv" button for directions.
>******************************************************
>