Municipal solid waste recycling by burning it as part of composite fuel with energy generation

Abstract

In this work, it has been shown that the involvement of composite fuels in thermal power engineering will enable to recycle both industrial and municipal combustible wastes while saving fossil fuels. The ignition and combustion stability of composite fuel droplets up to their complete burnout was experimentally substantiated under the conditions typical of boiler furnaces, using the example of several fuel compositions with wood, food waste, plastic, and cardboard, each added separately. The values of the guaranteed delay times for the ignition of droplets with a size of about 1 mm were established for the considered fuel compositions in a wide range of the ambient temperature variation (600-1000 °C). The minimum values of ignition delay times were about 3 s, the maximum values were about 25 s. It was established experimentally that the concentration of nitrogen and sulfur oxides in flue gases was lower for the fuel compositions containing municipal solid waste (MSW) in comparison with those without it. The maximum difference between NO_x and SO_x concentrations for such fuel compositions was about 60% and 35% (in absolute units about 110 ppm and 45 ppm). As a result of the theoretical analysis, it was found that partial replacement of coal (50% of energy generation) by composite fuel in the amount equivalent in terms of energy generation will save about 1 billion tons/year of high-quality solid fossil fuel in the course of 20 years (the regulated period of safe operation of a boiler in thermal power engineering).

Keywords: Coal processing and oil refining waste; Composite fuel; Ignition and combustion; Municipal solid waste; Reduction of environmental pollution; Thermal power engineering.