Analysis of the Development Trends of China's Waste to Energy Incineration Industry

With the rapid development of China's national economy, the acceleration of urbanization and the continuous growth of urban population, some cities have seen the embarrassing phenomenon of "garbage siege". On the one hand, waste incineration power generation can significantly reduce the capacity of urban waste, on the other hand, the treatment process can effectively solve the problem of underground water source and soil pollution, and more importantly, the heat generated by waste incineration can also be used for power generation and heating. To realize the requirements of "reduction, recycling, and harmlessness" of garbage disposal, this technology has gradually become the main way of domestic waste treatment, and plays an important role in solving outstanding environmental problems such as "garbage siege".

PART.01

The origin of waste-to-energy incineration

1.1 The development process of domestic incineration technology

Embryonic stage: In 1929, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Concession sent people to Europe to investigate the new technology of domestic waste incineration treatment. In 1930, two domestic waste incineration treatment plants were built in Shanghai, but they were subsequently shut down due to the low proportion of domestic waste combustibles, high water content, difficult incineration, and high operating costs.

Development stage: In 1985, Shenzhen Municipal Sanitation Comprehensive Treatment Plant, China's first generation of modern municipal solid waste incineration power plant, began construction, the first phase of the project was put into operation in 1988, and the second phase of the project was put into operation in 1996.

1.2 The main problems of waste-to-energy incineration in the early days of China

The main problems of waste incineration power generation in the early stage of China are as follows: first, the calorific value of municipal solid waste in the early stage of China is generally low, and auxiliary fuels need to be added to operate; Second, domestic waste will produce a large amount of ash after incineration, which fails to meet the requirements of waste reduction; Third, due to the late start and low investment in waste incineration research in China, the technology is relatively backward, there is a lack of relevant technical guidance, and the development level is also relatively lagging behind.

PART.02

The current state of waste-to-energy incineration

2.1 The improvement of the garbage removal and transportation system and the improvement of the disposal rate

Nowadays, the collection methods commonly used in China's domestic garbage mainly include: ordinary garbage containers, garbage collection vehicles and transfer stations combined, compressed garbage containers, and then according to the actual local situation to choose the appropriate collection and transportation method.

2.2 Improvement of the calorific value of garbage

The physical composition will affect the calorific value of domestic waste, and the components with higher calorific value mainly include: textiles, plastics, rubber, paper, bamboo, kitchen waste, etc. According to the survey, in the 90s of the 20th century, the calorific value of domestic waste generated in most cities in China did not exceed 5000 k J/kg. Since entering the 21st century, with the changes in residents' living habits, dietary structure, economic level and consumption habits, the calorific value of garbage has been rising.

2.3 Main processing technology

Waste-to-energy technology is a comprehensive technology that uses the heat generated by waste incineration to generate electricity, and the key equipment of the technology is the incinerator, which is mainly composed of a waste-to-energy incinerator / waste heat boiler, flue gas purification system and steam turbine generator set. The construction of a sewage treatment plant within an incineration plant is the most effective way to treat leachate thoroughly. The incineration slag and the fly ash collected by the flue gas treatment system are collected, stored and transported separately. Fly ash is mainly stabilized by adding chelating agents, and transported to the landfill for sanitary landfill disposal after reaching the standard of harmless treatment.

2.4 Norms and support of relevant policies and regulations

The "14th Five-Year Plan" for the development of urban domestic waste sorting and treatment facilities puts forward the target requirements for waste incineration treatment: by the end of 2025, the national urban domestic waste incineration treatment capacity will reach about 800,000 tons/day, and the municipal domestic waste incineration treatment capacity will account for about 65%.

PART.03

The prospect of waste-to-energy incineration

3.1 The focus of market development has shifted to the central and western regions

Waste-to-energy incineration technology has gradually become the main way of waste treatment in large and medium-sized cities in China due to its good harmless treatment effect. Since then, the technology has been popularized and used, and the waste-to-energy projects in China's coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are close to saturation, and gradually expanded to Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu and other inland provinces in the central and western regions.

3.2 Independent incineration power generation project turned to vein industrial park (environmental protection industrial park)

The vein industrial park is a comprehensive industrial park based on domestic waste incineration and power generation, which comprehensively treats solid waste such as municipal solid waste, kitchen, kitchen waste, sludge, feces, hazardous waste, construction waste, bulky waste, and garden waste. As the core of the vein industrial park, the domestic waste incineration power plant is a green energy output center, which can not only process municipal solid waste and stale waste, but also provide collaborative incineration capacity for other kitchen and sludge projects in the park, and the steam generated by incineration can provide heat for kitchen, sludge and other projects. The incineration power generation project provides clean power supply to the whole park, and the waste residue and biogas generated by the kitchen and other projects can be fed back as the raw materials for power generation of the incineration project, so as to achieve cascade utilization of energy and realize the energy cycle in the park.

3.3 Participate in the carbon trading market

Due to its own advantages, waste-to-energy projects can not only avoid the greenhouse gases generated by landfills, but also convert the heat energy generated by the combustion process into clean electricity, which makes waste-to-energy incineration projects a voluntary emission reduction project. In this way, waste-to-energy projects can receive subsidies for carbon emission reduction, participate in the carbon emission trading market, and assume a social responsibility.

PART.04

Conclusions and prospects

Incineration power generation is now a major means of domestic waste treatment in China, through which the problem of "garbage siege" can not only be effectively solved, but also the resource utilization of garbage can be realized. The promotion of waste-to-energy technology is an important means to optimize the existing domestic waste treatment in China, and it is a key strategy to realize a "resource-saving and environment-friendly society". We have reason to believe that the waste-to-energy industry will continue to develop, the technical level will continue to be optimized and improved, and the waste-to-energy industry will have a broad space for development in China.