Benefits of Waste to Energy - Turning Our Waste Into Energy

We generate mountains of waste every day as a society across the world. However, modern processing now allows us to turn that waste into energy. As such, it is important to consider the benefits of waste to energy as we seek means to limit our negative impacts on the planet and efficiently use our resources.

Instead of taking our waste to landfills, why not look at the available options? Instead of letting our waste go to waste, we can use it to create energy.

What is more worrying is that methane is more damaging than Co2. From food waste to paper waste and even wood, all of it can produce methane emissions when placed in landfills. As a result, while the waste sits there, it pollutes the environment. So, we can reduce this negative impact and pollution by using waste to create renewable energy2.

Essentially, if we toss our waste into landfills, it will produce more greenhouse gases than if we use it to create energy from it. So, with modern waste processing techniques, we prevent these greenhouse gas emissions from landfills from damaging our environment and do something good at the same time.

How Does Waste to Energy Work?

In its simplest form, waste to energy involves taking our waste disposal and turning it into energy3. To get to the point where waste management facilities can produce energy, the waste has to go through a specific process. There are several waste-to-energy processes that we can use to do this. This can include anaerobic digestion or fermentation5, both of which are known as biochemical. There is also a thermochemical, which can include gasification or pyrolysis.

We can use these methods to turn waste into several energy products, including natural gas, biochar, bio-oil, and hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel and gasoline.

As our planet is suffering at the hands of humans and our wasteful ways, we now have a feasible option. It is an alternative that provides us with a source of renewable energy. When we consider that we throw away 1.3 billion tons of food waste each year, waste to energy has the potential to offset our ways1.

What Are The Benefits of Turning Waste into Energy?

Waste to Energy
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1. A Reduction in Landfill Waste

Sending our waste to landfills has always been an easy option. It gets dumped and buried, and in time it will decompose. However, landfill takes up a lot of space and destroys habitats and landscapes. Along with this, we have to address an even more significant problem - the release of methane.

When our waste is placed in landfills, it gives off methane. This gas is extremely harmful to our environment, more so than CO2. While it does not hang around in the atmosphere as CO2, it absorbs more heat, contributing to global warming.

2. It Creates Limitless Energy

If we use our waste correctly, we can create a huge amount of energy from it. Waste to energy facilities can use this waste to produce gas, energy generation, create electricity and heat, and other fuels.

Inevitably, we will always generate some waste. Turning this waste into energy means creating fuel sources that enable us to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Whether it is food waste or other organic waste, we can put it to good use. When considering the amount of waste we generate, we can enhance energy efficiency by using these new energy sources.

Better still, a ton of waste can generate as much as 700 kilowatt-hours of energy. This is enough to power one home for almost a month.

3. The Process is Sustainable

The entire process of turning waste into energy is sustainable. We don't call on fossil fuels or non-renewable sources to make it happen. Most of the processes are natural such as the anaerobic digestion process. As a result, the organic waste is turned into a source of energy that would have once been lost when placed in landfills.

Another benefit of waste to energy plants is that they effectively fuel themselves. As a result, we not only create energy but also prevent the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. What's more, energy from waste centers can prevent the use of 200,000 barrels of oil annually. This can help to conserve our oil stores and ease the burden on our planet.

4. It is Financially Sound

Of course, there are costs associated with generating energy from waste. This will be dependent on the technology used. However, the financial advantages come from no longer needing to transport waste or placing it in landfills. Along with this, there is the financial aspect that derives from generating energy that can be sold on. As a result, savings can be made, but it is also possible to profit from this sustainable energy source.

5. It Creates Jobs

Our drive to lower emissions comes at a price to our economy. In the UK, as an example, there are estimates that 28,000 jobs will be lost. This is a result of the low-carbon economy that the UK government is striving for4.

Despite this negative forecast, there is some potential light at the end of the tunnel. As jobs are phased out through the transition to a low-carbon economy, new jobs will become apparent in a new industry.

A waste-to-energy plant will require a workforce. Along with this, the need will increase as the technology becomes more widespread. As we move into an era of greater sustainability, the employment landscape will likely change and move in a new and exciting direction.

Waste To Energy - What Next?

We will always have waste, and there is no denying this fact. We will always need energy too. So, the critical benefit of waste to energy brings the two together, creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy.

However, it's not perfect. Waste to energy plants still use energy and create their own by-products. Some also argue that they can reduce recycling.

As such, there is a lot of work to be done. Testing new technologies such as waste to energy and realizing the advantages of solar energy can help us determine which energy recovery options work best when it comes to meeting our needs and dealing with our municipal solid waste. And as improvements are had, the ultimate outcomes of turning waste into energy will likely become more positive.

Air pollution is a real problem. Needlessly creating and filling landfill sites just adds to the issues we face. Therefore, we should look to use these energy solutions to change the future. The amount of waste we generate on a global level is astronomical. If we can put this to good use, then there is no doubt that it can be a real game-changer in our quest to become more sustainable.

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1Melikoglu, M., Lin, C. & Webb, C. (2013). Analysing global food waste problem: pinpointing the facts and estimating the energy content. Open Engineering, 3(2), pp. 157-164. Retrieved 23 Feb. 2020, from doi:10.2478/s13531-012-0058-5
2Richa Kothari, V.V. Tyagi, Ashish Pathak, Waste-to-energy: A way from renewable energy sources to sustainable development, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 14, Issue 9, 2010, Pages 3164-3170, ISSN 1364-0321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2010.05.005
3Paul H. Brunner, Helmut Rechberger, Waste to energy โ€“ key element for sustainable waste management, Waste Management, Volume 37, 2015, Pages 3-12, SSN 0956-053X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.02.003
4PAUL EKINS, GABRIAL ANANDARAJAH & NEIL STRACHAN (2011) Towards a low-carbon economy: scenarios and policies for the UK, Climate Policy, 11:2, 865-882, DOI: 10.3763/cpol.2010.0126
5W Gujer, A J B Zehnder; Conversion Processes in Anaerobic Digestion. Water Sci Technol 1 August 1983; 15 (8-9): 127โ€“167. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.1983.0164
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