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OVERVIEW
Trash-to-energy facilities burn garbage and use that heat to boil water to create steam. The steam spins a turbine that generates electricity. This process not only creates electricity from garbage, but it also reduces the garbage to ash. The volume of ash that needs to be landfilled is about 90 percent less than the volume of the original garbage. There are two kinds of trash-to-energy facilities
– mass-burn and RDF.
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| The electricity generated by the burned garbage is sent to the grid for distribution. |
MASS-BURN TRASH-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES
Mass-burn means that there is no front-end separation of recyclable metal or non-combustible material from what is delivered as trash to the facility. Unlike the RDF technology used at the Hartford plant, trash is delivered and burned with no processing. The heat boils water to create steam, and the steam spins turbines that generate electricity. The ash residue is deposited into a specially engineered double-lined ash landfill.
REFUSE-DERIVED FUEL (RDF) TRASH-TO-ENERGY FACILITY
The refuse-derived fuel (RDF) process used at the Hartford plant differs from the mass-burn technology used at CRRA’s other trash-to-energy plants. To make RDF, trash is processed two ways:
- First, recyclable metals and non-combustible materials such as grit, metals and glass are separated from the waste. Recyclable commodities are sold to processors, and the remainder
– called process residue
– is trucked to a privately owned landfill.
- Second, remaining waste is shredded.
The resulting RDF generates a more even, higher-efficiency combustion. After processing, RDF is moved by conveyor to the power generating facility, where it is burned to boil water to create steam. The steam spins turbines that generate electricity. The ash residue is deposited into a specially engineered double-lined ash landfill.
Click Projects for more detailed information about each trash-to-energy plant.
WHERE DOES YOUR GARBAGE GO?
Click here for an inside look at how we dispose of your trash.
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